


Every Line I'd Cross

by Sayl



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Angst, Canon Continuation, Corruption, Dark Magic, F/M, Plot Twists, Political Alliances, Post-Game(s), Slave Trade, Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-02-28 07:40:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 28,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18751990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sayl/pseuds/Sayl
Summary: Lon'qu and Tharja move to Regna Ferox to start a life together after the war, but when Lon'qu succeeds Basilio as West Khan, he quickly begins to realize that he may not be cut out for the position, and Tharja's travels to Plegia uncover an underground plot that threatens innocent lives, and possibly the continent. Balancing work and home life soon becomes the least of their worries...Takes place 2 years after the events of Awakening.





	1. Fraying Paths

||| Lon’qu |||

 

The echo of clashing blades and raucous conversation filled the training arena as it always did. Every sound and sight and smell was painfully familiar, and yet I felt out of place. I’d lived in Ferox most of my adult life. I’d fought against and side by side these men and women for years. I’d competed in tournament after tournament and come out on top more often than not. I wasn’t liked by all, but it didn’t matter. I earned respect among my peers despite my foreign heritage. Strength was what ruled here above all else.

I quickly learned, however, that it wasn’t all that ruled.

Two years ago that war had ended. We’d won more than we’d lost, but the losses still took a toll on all of us in some way. Chrom most of all. Flavia’s request for him to Champion her again at the Feroxi tournament half a year ago had been declined. He didn’t have the time and likely didn’t want to be stuck on either side of two people he considered close allies. I couldn’t blame him, really. In his shoes, I wouldn’t have been able to function, let alone continue ruling.

I barely knew how to lead Ferox as it was. Truthfully, I hadn’t expected Vaike to win, but I hadn’t known who else to have Champion me. I was used to being in the ring, to be the one fighting. Watching from the stands just wasn’t as satisfying. But somehow, in his enthusiasm, that oaf had beat Flavia’s hired sword. And part of me wished that he hadn’t. Not the first time. I had so little leadership experience that I thought it would be better to be a Khan without the burden of being in charge of the entire empire. It would seem I didn’t get that luxury. Two months after succeeding Basilio, I had the full weight of the title Khan Regnant thrust upon me.

Basilio had always said I had the makings of a Khan. I’d always believed him. But I never really knew what that meant or what it entailed. Nor that I’d be taking up that mantle for him so soon. But at the time, I felt pride in the accomplishment. Still remembered how that felt. Now I was having trouble living up to my own expectations...let alone the expectations of the rest.

Now striding through familiar halls felt foreign. Eyes fell on me for different reasons, with different judgments. My simple routine was thrown off its hinges and flipped upside down. Time previously spent training and sparring and taking time to myself was scattered around meetings and councils and important decisions I didn’t feel entirely prepared to make.

And paperwork was a difficult task for someone nearly illiterate. I was far more competent with the written word now than I had been two years ago, thanks to my wife’s insistence that I learn, but I was still a far cry from a scholar or scribe. Were it not for the competence of my own right-hand man, I feared to know what sorry state Ferox would be in at this point in time. I was a quick learner, but something about politics and leadership simply escaped me, despite my best efforts.

Rounding the last corner of the hallway, I finally arrived at the board room. The only other occupant at the moment was the very man I trusted as my advisor and adherent. He gave his usual hearty chuckle as I arrived, greeting me with a clap of his hand on my shoulder.

“Ah, why the look of glum? Gregor fear this scowl may becoming permanent from Lon’qu’s serious nature. Be thinking too much for small problem.”

I sighed in response, brushing off his jovial nature. I’d known him long enough to simply accept how he was. And I didn’t dare show a sense of ungratefulness towards someone I relied so heavily on.

“A small problem can become a large problem. And a wrong decision could easily be a catalyst for such...And I have no desire to be the cause.”

The older man’s light-hearted smile from before lessens yet again. This wasn’t the first time this conversation had come up, and I regretted even speaking it. I knew what the answer to it was. My scowl may have deepened as I rounded the corner, a silent exhale leaving my nose.

“Need Gregor be reminding, this is job of Khan. Lon’qu have yet to make grievous mistake. Perhaps being too hard on self. Leader is not born in day, take many months to forge. Years even!” His words were meant to be encouraging, but they just filled me with a sense of dread. Years? Ferox was still recovering from a war, the empire didn’t have time to wait for me to get my footing and figure out what the hell I was doing.

“Nevermind. Let’s just get on with it. Scouts are reporting some minor upsets in the north of West Ferox, right? Have they found out why?”

Gregor shook his head in reply. “Not yet. Sources still be saying is all speculation. Unrest is being expected when there is major shift of power.”

Great, so either there were regions of Ferox that were pissed about me being the new West Khan or they just wanted to see if they could take it from me. As much as the position wasn’t turning out to be everything I ever wanted, I’d never hand over my home to some arrogant warrior who only sought power regardless of the repercussions to the country. I sighed in reply, mulling over the best possible courses of action in such a situation. Ignore them, squash them, send a warning...were there any other options, really? How should I know, I was no tactician. Robin would not have been impressed. I kneaded my forehead with my fingertips as I thought further on it, but Gregor interrupted my thoughts.

“ Perhaps Lon’qu be feeling stress over his wife’s absences again?” Despite the mild sympathy in his tone, it only irritated me more that he brought it up.

“Tharja’s fine, I would know if she wasn’t.” Most thought that was a saying, but it was actually literal. I opened my eyes to glance at the palm of my left hand that rubbed at my temple. A long scar stemmed from one side to the other. We were married, yes. Having eloped shortly after the fall of the Fell Dragon. What most didn’t know was the means by which we’d been bound. Rather than settle for a traditional wedding or even civil marriage, she’d presented a suggestion that took it a step further. One that I’d readily agreed to, despite how...unorthodox some of the others might have found it to be.

Dark magic, blood rituals, binding spells...It was all out of my expertise, but well within Tharja’s. Such a bond was permanent, unbreakable. But I didn’t mind that...Preferred it, actually. What better way to prove my devotion?

But it bound us not only in soul, but in body. We shared in each other’s emotions, pain, pleasure. A faint feeling, but shared nonetheless. If she was in any sort of danger or hurt, I would know. The scar on my palm would tell me that much, even from this distance.

Besides, what she was doing in Plegia was no one’s business. For the first year of our marriage, she’d simply gone to visit regularly to escape the cold of Ferox that she loathed so much. I’d often travel with her back then. But things had changed. It was harder for me to leave Ferox for extended periods for any reason that wasn’t strictly business.

And Tharja had found her own calling in the sands of her homeland. One that would keep calling her back until her work there was finished.

“She can handle herself, and she always comes back. There’s no reason it should bother me that she leaves on occasion.”

Other than the fact I missed her like hell when she did.

Gregor simply nodded in reply, hardly seeming convinced based on the way his lips pressed together. But I didn’t care. Our relationship had been questioned before, and anyone who had done so met a swift retaliation from me. Particularly the ones who dared to imply she was seeing another lover in Plegia behind my back. Ridiculous. Idiots. It was all aggravating. But Gregor had enough sense to keep his doubts to himself.

After another few moments of silence, I decided to break it rather than focus on the real issue at hand. But there was something that had always bothered me, that I never had an answer to. And maybe at that moment, in my doubts about my position, it was the best time to ask.

“...Why did you turn down the role of Khan years ago, Gregor?” I remembered too clearly how humiliatingly the man had bested me the first time I tried to fight him. I knew how he’d defeated Basilio in single combat, how he’d been in the running for West Khan long before I ever met him. So why did he turn it down?

He hums in response for a moment like he’s lost in a reverie as he recalls a time long past. “Mmm, yes. Gregor remember. He was young mercenary then, not far from age Lon’qu is being now. But Gregor was free spirit! Devotion to country was not in interest at time.”

I hardly thought twenty-nine was all that “young”, but maybe I would feel differently as well when I was closer to forty. “So then why did you even fight him?”

He laughed again, one that shook his broad shoulders. “Oy! To test strength, of course! Was much simpler time for Gregor then. Light jingle of coin not so bad without extra mouths to feed. Things being much different now, family be relying on steady income. Gregor make mistake of living life too frivolous before, will not be making mistake again.”

I nodded silently in response. That part I remembered. When I’d first hired him as my right hand, he’d expressed far more gratitude than I had expected. Apparently his mercenary work wasn’t covering all the expenses he’d racked up after the war, spending far more than he was bringing in. He hadn’t realized the extent of his mistake until he found out his wife was dancing in the streets to make ends meet. I hadn’t known either, truth be told. Though I’d known Olivia for years even before joining the Shepherds, I’d always remained a comfortable distance from her. A friend whose personal life I knew almost nothing about, and never really asked. And she was too shy to share without being prompted.

“You have a kid coming, don’t you?”

His expression immediately flipped from somber to ridiculously pleased, beaming at the prospect. “Ah, yes! Little Inigo be gracing us with his presence very soon! Such momentous occasion! Gregor swell with pride and joy.” A hearty chuckle follows the claim, a teasing glint in his eye. “Gregor thank stars that Lon’qu not so good with ladies when younger. Maybe would have missed out on love of life if Lon’qu had fallen for beautiful Olivia’s charms! Ho ho!”

I winced at that, but didn’t lash out like I had the first time he’d brought it up years back. “I’m still not good with them,” was my placid response, my attempt at a humored tone falling flat. Though his words were harmless and his intention was just to try and force some form of amusement into my rather anxious mood, but I’d never been comfortable with knowing that she’d been in love with me prior. Particularly since I never shared those affections for her. Even after we’d both married, I found it even more difficult to interact with her...Not that it had ever been easy. “But congratulations, anyway.”

Gregor nodded his appreciation, but he could tell that I was trying to avoid the issue at hand. “Now, much to dismay, important matters are being at hand. We should discuss while fresh in mind and spirit. Afterward, perhaps Lon’qu may be telling Gregor about expecting of little Noire soon, yes?”

Despite the expectant look on his face, I gave him no answer to that. And likely wouldn’t even after our discussion. There was nothing to say, really. I knew Noire was in our future, but I didn’t know when. And we didn’t make any solid plans to try for it. It would happen when it happened. That’s all there was to it.

Now wasn’t the best time for us to be having a child, anyway.

 

||| Tharja |||

 

More and more dust kicked up the further I moved from the main roads. But I knew these streets like I knew my favored spells. I’d spent the last few months skulking around these alleys and venues searching. But that wasn’t the only reason.

I was raised here.

Well, if one could call my childhood ‘being raised’. I’d grown up here, certainly, but despite how long it had been since I escaped this squalor, it left an unpleasant taste in my mouth. I wasn’t here for pleasure, though. This was business. Business that had once bound my hands was now nearly washed from them, until I’d seen it again with my own eyes.

Plegia had its downfalls, I would not deny it that. But such shortcomings were always the fault of its rulers. Corrupted kings who sought only bloodshed and power at the cost of their own people. But the country had its merits once you scratched beneath the surface. Even Lon’qu had agreed after I’d first brought him here after the war, during that first year of our marriage. He hated the heat, but in the dead of winter, even that wasn’t so bad.

Not like his blasted Regna Ferox. Even the summers there were more often bitter cold than not. And the very foundation of its ruling body was nonsensical. Though the Khan’s themselves were capable and fair leaders, the country’s very politics were a disaster waiting to happen. Power being given based so heavily on one’s strength and their ability to pick a good fighter? That was how poor leaders came into power.

People like Lon’qu.

As much as I loved him, I was not blind to his faults. He was strong, skilled, and intelligent enough where it counted. And he was excellent at following orders...One of my favorite qualities of his. But he was not a leader. He’d never shown that initiative, nor that sort of wisdom. And yet that blasted oaf Basilio practically groomed him to be his replacement anyway. Had convinced him that he was suited for it, that he had the makings of a Khan.

Maybe he could, if he wanted to. But I had yet to see that happen. I doubted it ever would at this rate. I glanced down at the palm of my left hand...at the binding scar that stretched across my skin. The man was so constantly stressed I’d managed to tune it out somehow. An annoyed huff left me. Things had been easier before. As much as I disliked Ferox, I could tolerate living there with him. He had a duty to fulfill as the Khan’s Right Hand. I accepted that. I could tolerate it because I had the fire of his skin and the warmth of his companionship. Because I could pull him away from it all from time to time, bring him to the place that I, in a way, still considered my home.

Now I had to fight for his time, and there was so little of it. I didn’t like that.

And whenever I watched as he was pulled away by his responsibilities, I could tell that he didn’t like it either. But he was stubborn. Convinced that he had no choice but to continue this path he’d chosen. Perhaps that was true, to an extent. No responsible leader would simply drop his country and abandon because it was difficult. At least he had that quality in a ruler. Though some days, the selfish side of me wished he didn’t.

But since I couldn’t fix his twisted mess of an empire...maybe while he was busy, I could try to mend the frayed edges of mine.

I pulled the dark hood of my cloak farther forward, a shroud for my identity more than a block for the sun. But even in Plegia, February could still sink a chill into your bones once the sky began to darken. The red and purple hues that painted it now were my warning and my sign. Now was the time to move.

My footsteps were light and my form was near invisible to any who didn’t look directly my way...Thanks to a few hexes that I’d laced along my clothes and shoes. I was little more than a moving shadow once I stepped out of the sun. And with such cover, it was easy to sneak the long way around the posted guards. Guards that let my target waltz right by, despite the royal emblems that pinned their cloaks. Perhaps they knew of his business, perhaps they did not.

But I did. Months of tracking his movements and watching his trade had told me as much.

 

He disappeared into a small building, one akin to little more than a shack among a cluster of crates. A lie. I knew what lay underneath, and today I had the means to get there.

Striding right past, I continued along the shaded walls toward the cover of the cargo and slipping out of sight entirely as I descended the precarious cliffside behind it. My pace was slower than I cared to admit, but I had little choice with such a treacherously narrow path at my disposal. A wrong step could alert someone of my presence, or lead to a nasty fall. If I sustained any substantial injury, then no doubt that husband of mine would take the first horse out here to find me and risk blowing my cover.

Caution here would have to do. And eventually, it paid off. I found way in, and with stealth being one of my assets, climbed into the rafters of the facility.

Nearly two stories below, I could see it all. Rows of armed men and women, many former Grimleal by the look of it, walked the floor of the warehouse. A gaping door was raised on the far side, letting the last rays of daylight seep into the dimly lit building, much of it reflected off the surface of the sea just beyond. I clung to the darkness around me, scanning the area for my target. The one that I suspected to be behind it all.

And I found him. Heading towards the opening in the wall, he finally casts aside his cloak, revealing the rest of his normally obscured identity. Even from this distance, I could discern distinctive features. Sun-tanned skin covered a rather ridiculous bulk of muscle. Dark hair was shaven short into a sort of tribal pattern, more reminiscent of a tattoo than hair. A mark on his arm was one I recognized immediately. Ink that marked a convicted criminal, the very same as Gaius.

I cared not for the man’s past crimes, but at least he was easy to pinpoint now. Though not all was good news. The sword and axe crossed in the leather bands across his back were telling of his fighting style to a point. The bulk of his muscle suggested he was more of a powerhouse rather than the lean, agile muscle of Lon’qu whose best asset was speed. On the surface, that was good news for me. A slow target with low resistance to magic would be easy to melt, if only I had the chance.

But I was not so fortunate. At the belt on his hip was a satchel, one with a book. I would recognize a magic tome anywhere. I cursed under my breath.

Of course he was a dread fighter. I would have to plan my next move carefully. I could not make it here now. But movement at the far door caught my eye. Rows of silhouettes were ushered into the warehouse, hands bound before them and tied to the figure in front of them. I scowled at the sight, unpleasant memories intruding on my previously clear mind. I shook free of such thoughts for now, though I knew they would haunt me later when I was forced to leave the lot of them to their fate for now.

The Slave Trade in Plegia was strong as ever. That new King, for all his claims to reform this country, didn’t seem to be very effective in his attempts. If they were even truly genuine. I had my doubts about that. Why else would the man keep his true identity anonymous? The Eidolon, they all called him. Pah! I had yet to be convinced. Plegia’s streak for unsuitable rulers was grinding on my last nerve.

I turned to go, but before I did, I noticed the appearance of the slaves being brought in. Male and female were present but most were young, many children. That was no surprise. I’d only been a young girl when my parents had sold me. But what did strike me was their ethnicity.

Not a one of them was Plegian.

I furrowed my brow in thought, glancing over the lot once more. There were well over twenty, it could have been a mere coincidence. But the slave trade had heavily preyed on the countries’ own people in the past. The occasional wanderer from elsewhere would fall victim, but it was hardly deliberate. But every face I saw was distinctively foreign. Ylissean, Valmese, Feroxi, Chon’sin...The only Plegians in sight were those ushering them in or barking orders around.

I glared at my target, their ringleader, once more as he towered over them, directing their handlers on where to move them. I had to suppress the urge to act. I knew when I was outnumbered, and I was not properly prepared. I couldn’t help them. Not at that moment. They would have to be patient and wait. My gaze narrowed, and I was granted one stroke of luck before I departed again. His head lifted up, gaze pointed in my direction. But I didn’t move, the shadow my shield. I knew he couldn’t see me, but I froze all the same to be sure of it. And a moment later, his subordinate shouted for him, demanding his attention...and finally I was given a name. A name for the man behind it all. The man that I would kill.

 

_Khadim._


	2. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hold your breath."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're not into smut, stop reading at the *** and hit cntrl F to find the ~~~ and continue after that to get plot/sfw interaction only.

||| Lon’qu |||

 

It had been a few days since my discussion with Gregor. For now, I’d opted to make no move on the minor upsets in the north. Why acknowledge them? They were causing no trouble or danger at the moment, and I was not intimidated by them. To act would show that I was. 

Was it the right move? I had no idea. I wasn’t as confident in my decision as I wished I was. At this point, only time would tell.

 

The extra stress had been difficult to deal with, but I tried to in the only way that I knew how: training. I spent hours in the arena, wailing practice blade after practice blade against one of the training dummies. I needed to practice with my archery more, with daggers, with my left hand...but I postponed it again in favor of going all out. The outlet was relieving, to a point. But it lifted no weight from my shoulders, only wore out my upper body so that I couldn’t tell as easily. I should have wiped the sweat from my body before I left the fortress for my home, but instead, the chill of the wind seemed to freeze it to my skin. Nothing could be done about that at this point, so I trudged on. 

 

A short while later, I crossed the threshold of the front door into my home, immediately pausing just as I shut the door behind me. My head perks up, noticing how warm the building is compared to how I left it that morning. I turn to look into the main room and see the fire going, seemingly for a while. I blink, a calm exhale leaving me as it sinks in.

 

She’s back.

 

She isn’t the first to greet me, however. Instead, I’m met by a bounding blur of fur, the black bear of a dog exiting the bedroom and rushing up to me. I reach a hand out, stroking the top of his head as he comes to a stop, sitting down before me. “Hey, Chow,” I mutter in fond greeting. Despite my doubts about it at first when Tharja rescued him from Plegia’s streets last year, I’d grown fond of having the dog around...Though he was already rather large and technically still a pup. Part of me wondered just how large he was going to grow. 

 

A moment later, the click of Tharja’s tongue from down the hall prompts the dog to move over to the living room, hopping onto the couch where he makes himself comfortable. My attention instead moves towards the source, spotting my wife leaning a shoulder against the wall on the other side of the room. Her arms are folded under her chest, slender fingers tap against her sleeve. Her nails were painted to match the heavier black robes she often wore in Ferox...Even with the fire going as hot as it was. 

“You’re back late,” she drawls, voice lined with impatience, but not necessarily irritation. Apparently, she’d been home a while.

 

Shrugging off my coat, I cast it aside along with my sword and sheath, glancing over at her out the corner of my eye as I do so. “You’re one to talk,” I quipped in response, a challenging statement more than a harsh one. She’d been gone for a fortnight, after all. One of her longer trips. I could only assume that meant she had either made good progress, or the opposite. But it wasn’t the time to ask about that, yet. Tharja pushes off the wall, moving toward me at a deliberate pace. My hand went for her hips as she reached me, but still I quickly found my back hitting the wall just behind me. Her arms were already wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling herself up to me (or pulling me down to her, I couldn’t quite tell which). My mouth met with hers quickly, an immediate spark igniting on contact. My hands tugged at her body, pulling her in closer as I moved my mouth against hers, my passion for her returned to me in the same breath. A heavy sigh left my nose as her hands began to move, sliding down my shoulders to tug at my shirt. I exhaled sharply as she pulled her lips from mine, moving to bite at my neck. 

But it was short-lived. I could feel the subtle flicker of annoyance that passed through her mind as she yanked herself back. My brow furrowed in response as I glanced down at her, eyes meeting to see her own gaze narrowed at me. 

“You smell terrible. Bathe first.” 

 

Honestly, I didn’t have to move my head to check and see what she meant. Now that she’d pointed it out, I realized I reeked of sweat and dirt and the unpleasant musk of a score of men who’d been heavily training in the same room. Frankly, I wouldn’t want to sleep with me either in such condition. I reluctantly withdrew my hold from her as she stepped back, releasing me from where I’d be pinned a moment ago. I gave a curt nod in reply, really having no oppositions to the mild delay. I desperately needed a bath anyway. 

Just as I’m about to round the corner into the washroom, she calls to me with a familiar impatience. I can’t help the amused huff that leaves me in response when she says, “Make it quick.”

 

***

 

A minute or so later, I was elbow deep in the warm waters of the bath. For the most part I lived a rather minimalist life, but a large bath was one of the few luxuries I did indulge on with this home. I’d spent the first twenty years of my life without access to any proper bath...so anymore, I’d made it quite the opposite, the very bathing pool itself built down into the floor and ground to help retain the heat better. 

Not to mention, one of Tharja’s requirements when agreeing to move to Ferox after we married was to have access to a ridiculous amount of hot water she could submerge herself in at will. The cold had never been her ally. 

 

I dropped down below the surface briefly, enough to soak myself entirely in the water and soap to actually start cleaning myself off. My hair seemed to be the worst of it, prompting me to dunk my head below once more. But as I did, I heard the muffled sound of the door to the bathroom being swung open behind me. I resurfaced, water pouring from my face as I turned to see Tharja enter the room, pushing the door shut behind her. 

“You’re taking too long.”

 

I blinked. I’d only been in there for five minutes at most. And maybe years ago I would have been too naive to read the underlying message in those words: she doesn’t feel like waiting. Her intent is quickly made clear anyway when she shrugs off the dark robes she’d been wearing, allowing the fabric to fall into a pile around her feet. As she steps out and toward the pool, I do find myself staring. I have every reason to. Though she’d told me long ago that parts of her appearance were achieved through magic, it didn’t bother me. I knew no other face or body on her. And though I didn’t consider myself a man prone to perverse thoughts, her beauty was undeniable. 

Particularly like this.

 

I met her at the edge of the bath, making an easy target of myself as she latched onto me. I stepped back two paces, lowering the both of us down further into the warmth of the water. Her lips mingled with mine again, similar to how we’d kissed minutes ago and the sensation of her skin sliding against mine as I held her flush against me was electrifying. Her fingernails grazed along my jawline, tracing down to my neck before lifting up to grab the hair at the back of my scalp. As my head tilted back from the tug, her mouth left mine in favor of assaulting my throat and collarbones. A small grunt left me as her teeth pressed into my flesh, likely leaving marks that I’d still see a few days from now. 

Her initial dominance usually left me stunned like this, but after a few more moments of falling into her touch, I regained enough self-awareness to give her reasons to fall into mine. One hand remained on her lower back beneath the water, the other slid around her hips and toward her inner thigh, fingers tracing along the skin as I went. A deliberate push put my hand between her legs, and a tilt at the wrist allowed me to slip two digits inside her. The sigh that left her hit the skin of my neck as much as it hit my ears. A shiver ran up my spine at the sound despite the warmth of the water around me. 

I curled my fingers against her wall, carefully slipping them out just past the knuckle before pushing back in. Her vocal response was subtle, breaths growing heavier as her lips abandoned my neck and her head tilted back just slightly. But I could feel the slightest hint of her pleasure in the back of my mind, something that spurred me on further. Lowering myself further into the water, I brought my lips to her neck now that mine had been freed. I kissed along the line of her throat, descending further down her chest and the center of her sternum, hand never pausing as I moved. Once on my knees, my path diverted to the right, my free hand moving up to cup her left breast as my lips slid over the peak of her right. Her heavy breaths evolved into a sigh, hands still running through the wet strands of my hair. My tongue slid over the sensitive skin, prompting further noises from her throat. Her hips rolled forward into my hand, her body pulling towards me as I continued to touch her, thumb pressing at her exposed nipple. 

The attention I showered her body with drew a tremble from her, and her alluring breath ceased, as did the sensation of her fingers on my scalp. The sound of water sloshing broke the relative silence of our surroundings as she grabbed my shoulders, shoving me back and prompting me to stop. Both my hands left her suddenly as I moved to catch my balance, one reaching for the edge of the pool behind me for support. She hadn’t pushed me away, however. Only into submission. Now that I was leaning back, she took that opportunity to mount me, one hand wrapping around the base of my hardened shaft. I froze in response, breath hitching at her touch. Tharja leaned forward, face drawing nearer to mine and fingernails digging into my shoulders as she shifted her hips appropriately over me. My gaze locked onto hers as she lowered herself onto me, her prolonged exhale matching my own as the length of me entered her body. I couldn’t help the tremble in my legs at the feeling. After not even hearing from her in two weeks, being inside her now seemed surreal, overwhelming almost. Perhaps that separation was part of what made our reunions so intense. 

And before I’d even taken another breath, a forceful roll of her hips against me ripped the air away from me again. My arm shook where it steadied me, traitorous lungs letting out a harsh grunt in response. Keeping me at her mercy, she didn’t stop, repeating the motion with increasing intensity each time. With each motion, my head filled with steam and pleasant delirium and my own breathing cycle lost its controlled pace. But I wasn’t alone in that, despite not being the one in control. Through lowered lids, I watched as Tharja’s chin lifted up. A series of moans escaped past her lips as the ends of her dark hair began to disperse below the water’s surface. I swallowed, closing my eyes a moment as I reveled in the feeling that rippled through every nerve in my body. 

Regaining some of my autonomy, my free hand slid through the water and up the skin of her thigh before finding purchase on her hip. And  _ still _ , even with her riding me, I could still feel every ounce of stress that put tension in my muscles and distractions in my thoughts. I grit my teeth, forcibly willing out ever thought or presence that plagued me except  _ hers _ . But with that focus came desire tenfold. I pushed forward, leaning up closer to her as I began to roll my hips in and out of hers. Her power suddenly in question, she gasped as she leaned back just further, hands gripping at my shoulders for support. Her moans grew louder and more frequent as my pace increased, and the sound was intoxicating. I wanted her voice and body alone to fill every corner of my mind. I lunged for her neck, sucking at the skin and tracing my tongue along her collarbone. The drone of her own pleasure in the recesses of my mind suddenly bristled, and I knew she was going to fight me to get that dominance back. Her head tilted forward again and she narrowed her gaze at me, eyes sharp with carnal greed. One hand suddenly wrapped around my throat, firmly but carefully pushing me back down towards the water. My position did not favor my own balance and her body weight was enough to nearly submerge me. I had to move the position of my arm out to compensate, though she let up before my face dipped below the surface. Most days I’d let her have her way, content to submit to her will. 

But today I wasn’t having it. 

 

“Hold your breath,” I growled, the only warning I gave before I let go of the wall, dropping myself down below the water and dragging her with me. If I wasn’t mistaken, I made out the slightest look of surprise on her face just before. Using that moment of distraction, I withdrew just to slip out from under her and move behind her. I rose first, but before she even broke the surface I could feel her rage spark at the sudden dive. But rather than give her the chance to subject me to it, I grabbed her by the hips and yanked back. Tharja grunted as she lurched forward from the force, her hands now resting on the edge of the pool for balance. She whipped her head around to glare at me, soaked hair flying before smacking against her skin. By then, though, I was already re-entering her. She gasped in reply, back arching in response to the prompt intrusion. I placed one hand against her back to keep her from standing back up, proceeding to thrust before she tried to turn the tables on me again. Lucky for me, she let me continue without much protest since it wasn’t... _ typical _ of me to dominate like this. The splash of water and slap of skin, even my own grunts that left me with each heavy thrust, was nearly drowned out by her cries of pleasure, moans giving way to louder gasps and shouts. I could count on one hand how many times she had let me take her from behind like this, but in all instances...she’d made it clear she liked it.

Eventually, I leaned forward, though I didn’t let up. Pressing my chest against her back, I moved one hand to grip the edge just outside hers. My other hand slid around the front of her hip, fingers tracing around the inside of her thigh and toward her labia. I could feel her shudder against me as my fingertips grazed along the sensitive skin, her moans growing into deeper groans as I began to rub circular motions. I tucked my face down, my mouth hovering over the crook of her shoulder as my labored breaths hit her ear. Every motion of my hips brought me more and more pleasure, and it was only accentuated by her own as it began to rise. My speed increased, as did the pressure of my touch and how I held her so close against me. Her breath started to come in ill-controlled gasps, her hips felt heavier as her knees started to tremble. I knew she was close. I kept going, determined to feel her climax, to hear her song of ecstasy fill my head. 

And it wasn’t long before I got just that. Her body clenched around me, arms quivering and voice unsteady as she cried out and it echoed against the washroom walls. Her head tilted back and I pressed my lips against the side of her ear, slowing my motions to keep her going but not stopping as to end it too early. So consumed with attending to her, I had let my own orgasm fall by the wayside, despite how my body craved it. Now there was yet another form of stress clawing at my muscles...But I’d deal with that later if needed. 

Once her body seemed to calm, I slowed to a halt and so did her moans, though our breathing remained ragged and heavy. Carefully, I leaned back and pulled out, my hand moving out from between her thighs to support her by the hip. Tharja hardly needed it, however, standing up straight now that I’d released her from my hold. But rather than exit or berate or pounce on me (all viable, depending on her mood), she remained silent as she turned around to face me, gaze still firm and pointed. She backed up a step, dragging me by the arm to follow until she was up against the side of the bath. Placing her hands outside it, she lifted herself up to sit along the edge, her back pressed against the wall just outside it. I pursued, her eyes holding mine and drawing me in until my nose brushed against hers. Her legs apart, she lifted them up to wrap around my waist and beckon me back in. My usual obedience kicking in, I followed her guidance. Slowly, I slid inside her once again, threading my length slowly as the tops of my thighs now pressed against the side of the pool. Her hot breath brushed over my lips as I moved in, her steady sigh enticing me further. I held my ground a moment, mouth slightly agape as it hovered centimeters from hers. My fingers traced down the inside of her arms, short nails barely scraping against her skin. Then placing my hands against the floor on either side of her hips, I steadied myself as I thrust forward again. I kept each movement slow, but deliberate and strong. Tharja’s arms wrapped around my torso, her long, sharp nails digging into my back. A low growl rumbled in the back of my throat as she dragged them across the skin, angry red lines left in her wake. The sting was invigorating. A welcome distraction from the tension that had plagued me these last few months. Her mouth closed in on mine, muffling whatever sounds I made as I kissed her back. One of my hands moved to press against the wall beside her shoulder, bracing against it as I continued on, her moans with each thrust disappearing past my lips. My thoughts, my body, everything...consumed by nothing but her for those moments...Until I eventually found my own release in her. 

  
  


~~~

Moonlight poured through the bedroom window, providing enough light for me to sort through my drawers for a pair of pants to sleep in. In the bed just behind me, Tharja was already dressed in her nightclothes, legs hidden under the covers as she sat forward to rub the dog behind his ears. I glanced over, taking note that he was laying on my side of the bed again. I still wasn’t exactly fond of the idea of the dog sleeping on the bed, particularly with how fast he was growing...But when I protested the first time, she looked rather aghast at my audacity...And I was fairly certain she’d suggest I sleep on the couch before she conceded on that point. 

“You’re still tense,” she pointed out, looking back in my direction. She wasn’t wrong. Even just shutting the drawer back, I could feel how tight my shoulders were. I knew it was partly due to being overworked, but the knot at the base of my neck seemed permanent anymore. 

“I’ve had a lot on my mind.” It was a vague response, but she knew enough about what I was trying to deal with to fill in the blanks. Though having her around again helped to alleviate it to some extent, it aggravated me that I was still overly preoccupied. So rather than focus on what was plaguing me every day, I decided to shift the focus onto her. 

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

She didn’t respond immediately, instead continuing to dote on Chow for a few moments before she spoke. I dressed myself for bed in the meantime. I couldn’t complain over any hesitation she might have to speak of it. I knew how personal this endeavor was for her, and she’d only recently even begun divulging any details to me. 

“Yes and no…I found the man I was looking for. Khadim, they call him, apparently. But I’m not sure what else I found. Not yet. There’s certainly some form of human trafficking still going on right under the nose of the royal guards...But it’s not what I expected. Their ‘trade’ appears to be...purely external, not from within as it used to be. I’m still trying to make some sense of it.”

Though her voice was calm, I could feel her frustration with the matter...And I understood it even less than she did. Walking over to the bed, I motioned for the dog to move...and he did move over to the foot of the mattress, only after Tharja repeated the command. I climbed into bed next to her, my tone neutral, but truly curious when I responded, “Under their nose...You think they have any idea?” 

Her dark-painted nails tapped along her forearm as she looked out the window in thought, a moment passing before she gave an answer. “I can't say for sure just yet on that. But I do know that they either do know exactly what Khadim is doing, or they believe he's involved in a different sort of trade. But they definitely give him free access to the outposts.” A beat passes. “But at the moment, I don't trust that man they call their king. If he's working to reform Plegia as he claims to...then if his guard is under the assumption Khadim is an honest businessman, then their efforts aren't nearly thorough enough.”

I couldn't argue her point on that front. Tharja had rather easily found their motives and secrets to some extent, and that was entirely alone. Then again, the slavers were likely keeping an eye out for large authority figures who might try to shut down their operation, not a singular dark mage that stepped through the shadows. I prayed it would stay that way, for her sake. But if the Eidolon truly did know about it, that likely wouldn't be the case. I laid back against the pillow with an exhale, staring up at the ceiling as I mulled over her update. I knew she wasn't looking for my advice on the matter so much as she was thinking to herself out loud and filling me in so I wasn't entirely in the dark. I couldn't help the creeping thought that popped into my mind that someone could be running a similar unsavory organization right under my nose without my knowledge. 

“If my theory's right, Ferox isn't outside their reach,” she finally adds, breaking me from my thoughts. I turned my head to the side to look at her, tired eyes widening slightly at attention as she looked down at me from where she still sat up in the bed. “If you hear of any slaver activity here...Let me know about it.” 

Part of me wondered if that would be a conflict of interest...to divulge potentially sensitive information about what was going on in Ferox to someone who wasn’t in the political circle. But at the same time, the last thing I wanted to do was hide information from my wife. Particularly when this was the first time she’d asked me for any  _ semblance _ of assistance in her endeavors. Additionally, slavers had always been an issue in the more remote areas of the empire. It wasn’t exactly uncommon for the general public to run into it or know about it. 

I nodded briefly in response. “Will do.” 

She seemed satisfied with that. But I could tell by the look on her face that her mind was still racing, thumbnail pressed against her bottom lip in thought. A quiet exhale left my nose as I closed my eyes. My voice was quiet, but perhaps it didn’t hide the undertone of disappointment. “...You’re going back soon, aren’t you?” I knew she would go back eventually, but the way she spoke, it sounded as if she only returned briefly before she was going to head back out. I wouldn’t stop her, but I couldn’t deny that the selfish side of me wished she’d stay…

Or better yet...have good reason to drag me with her. I was in desperate need of a break from my office, not that I had any right to one so soon after getting it.

There was no guilt detectable in her tone, but she did hesitate in her response. “...Not right away.” She didn’t elaborate. It was hard to tell if she meant because she needed to lay low or do further research here, or to be near me again for a while...Most likely a mix of all of the above, if I had to guess it. But the reassurance was comforting. I felt her shift on the mattress and I opened my eyes slightly, briefly fighting off my fatigue for a moment as she slipped further under the covers and laid down next to me. She scooted closer, blankets pulled tight down over her neck and shoulders, muttering into the cloth, “It’s freezing.”

The corner of my lip tugged upward in response. Being back in the cold climate was always an unpleasant adjustment for her after spending days in Plegia’s warmer air. I grunted slightly as I shifted, rolling onto my side to wrap an arm around her and pull her in closer to me (careful to keep my cold hands away from her skin). My body heat would help to keep her more comfortable...even if hers did the opposite for me. 

But it was better than the alternative of her being away again.


	3. What is the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ferox declines.” 
> 
> “On what grounds, Sir Lon’qu?”
> 
> “I have my reasons.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hell yeah I'm still workin on this. I love this fic, yo.

 

||| Tharja |||

 

A few weeks later, I found myself crossing Plegia’s border once again, much to my husband’s dismay. But what right did he have to complain? He’d spent more time at the fortress than with me, anyway.

Not that it mattered. It gave me more time to focus on my work. To concentrate on what I would need to be able to kill thims bastard leading the slave trade. A damn Dread Fighter...Of all the damn opponents, it had to be the most difficult. I’d faced many a mage in my time, their high resistance to magic making them difficult to kill. But, they were fragile. Their attacks were also magic-based, therefore making it difficult for them to hurt me...and easy for Lon’qu to destroy if I didn’t first. Even without him, I always had the upper hand against them, even more-so against those who didn’t use magic, their bodies more susceptible to my power.

But Dread Fighters... _Ugh_ ...Not only were they resistant to my magic, but they were strong...tough and dangerous. Their magic couldn’t match my own, but they weren’t easy to take down with it either...and they were more likely to barrel through it with a blade aimed for my neck. It was a delicate situation, one I couldn’t rush into without planning ahead. I would need to make sure I was prepared, that I had a strategy to take him down...And a backup should that fail. But the key would be targeting Khadim when he was alone, to make sure I could focus all my attention on killing _him_ …

And the spell I’d tracked down should allow me to do just that. A penetration hex that would break past high resistance. It wouldn’t do much damage on its own, but it would create a window for me to strike when he was vulnerable, with a much more powerful spell. That was plan A. Hopefully it wouldn’t come down to Plan B…

 

And as I stalked through the shadows of that warehouse again, I trailed him from the rafters and the halls, my clothes yet again hexed to blend into darkness, to silence my footfalls...make me unnoticeable to anyone who didn’t look directly at me. Days I’d spent watching the patterns at the warehouse. _Hours_ I’d spent sneaking around and watching in silence... _waiting_ for the damn man to wander to an area that wasn’t crawling with his peons. As easy as it would be to wipe out the rabble, it would draw unwanted attention. He’d either use it to his advantage to attack or flee, and I didn’t want that.

But eventually, long after night had fallen, the movement through the complex began to die down. Fewer and fewer henchman roamed the halls and main floor. Khadim retreated to the back of the complex. For what reason, I didn’t know, but I knew there was no one else there still. This would be my time to strike. Sticking to the shadows, I pursued.

A minute or so later, he walked into a room that I’d seen a few enter and exit, but hadn’t gone into myself. It was risky, I wouldn’t know the layout inside, but I wouldn’t let that deter me. He didn’t bother shutting the door, allowing it to shut on its own...But it didn’t. My hand silently brought it to a halt before it touched the latch. The fool didn’t even look back. I slipped inside a few seconds after.

 

My target stood on the other side of the room, his back to me as he glanced over scrolls of paperwork...likely related to whatever business he was trying to run. I’d find out the details soon enough. I took in a breath, readying my tome. With my other hand, I pushed the door shut, loud enough to make a deliberate _click_.

Immediately, the Dread Fighter whipped around, his own tome in hand as he slung a fire spell my way. Pitiful, really. Obviously, he’d been expecting someone weaker to be behind him. I sidestepped it easily, even singing the edge of my cloak that trailed behind. I cast my own spell in return: the penetration hex that would lower his resistance to my magic. It landed, I could see him _wince_ when it did. I readied my own tome in hand for a follow-up attack, but didn’t fire right away. I wanted to see how much information I could get from him _alive_ first.

However, my eyes caught a movement in his own hand at his side...the one not wielding the tome. A small flourish of his wrist, nothing more. But I didn’t miss the sudden wave of power that seemed to blow through the room at that moment, before it fizzled to a dull presence. He’d cast _something_ , but what it was...I couldn’t be sure. Whatever it was, though, he was no longer casting it. I kept my guard up, it could have been a signal for backup. No matter, I wouldn’t be long.

 

“Well, well...This is the first _female_ mage assassin I’ve had come after me. Tell me, little lady, who hired ya and how much they payin? Promise you can make twice as much every month if you tried workin’ for me instead.”

I didn’t bother to hide the upward twitch of my lip in disgust. _Money_. It was always about money. Gold had its uses, yes, but for all my flaws, I was proud to say monetary greed wasn’t one of them. Neither was answering questions just because they were asked. I outright refused him answers.

“You’re going to tell me who _YOU_ work for. And if you don’t, then I’ll kill you and find out the hard way. Doesn’t matter to me.” No doubt the papers he’d been rummaging through would tell me enough.

He laughed in response, his arrogance clouding his judgment. Or at least, so I thought. “And let me guess, if I talk, you’ll kill me anyway, eh? Not really your best offer.”

 

I growled in annoyance. It’s so much easier to do this when they’re stupid. But no matter, I had no qualms with doing this the hard way. I expected as much, anyway. I had already readied one of my more powerful spells, knowing it would take something strong to break past the man’s high resistance. Throwing my hand out, a heavy pillar of crackling darkness immediately consumed the man, obscuring him from view...and hopefully disintegrating his bones...Or at least weakening them if the potency wasn’t quite up to par. It wasn’t an exact science.

But I didn’t hear any shouts of pain or panic, I didn’t feel any semblance of death or destruction in the room. My gaze narrowed in response as the pillar faded away a moment later. Much to my annoyance, the man was still standing there with a rather smug look on his face. But what’s even more aggravating…

Was the flicker of a barrier around his form...Thin, transparent...disappearing a few moments after the effects of my attack wore off. That was why he was so confident, that was the spell he’d cast before. It was an anti-magic shell! The rat bastard! He was far too prepared for some run of the mill slave-trader, that was for certain. I growled in anger. “You won’t be able to keep that up forever, I’ll wear it down.” But just as I was about to do just that, he interrupted me.

“Fraid not, little lady. That barrier’s being cast from offsite. So long as they’re left alone, I’m immune to any spell-slinging you might try.” As he speaks, he drew his sword from his belt and brandished it at me, the end pointed in my direction...But he didn’t attack. I cursed under my breath as I thought of an alternative plan that _wasn’t_ thwarted by an anti-magic barrier. My penetration spell was intended for natural resistance, not magical shields. Because he was a _Dread Fighter_ , he couldn’t _use_ dark magic to make such a thing! But it seemed he had one allied with him elsewhere, and I didn’t know _where_. They must have given him some sort of way to signal. _Damnit!_

Rather than outright attacking, however, he seemed to eye me with a sort of curious sneer as he kept his sword drawn. “You look familiar...Where’ve I seen your face before...? You work at one of the brothels around here?”

I just glared in response. This man’s face didn’t ring any bells for me, and certainly not from that sort of establishment. He must be trying to get under my skin. I’d repay him by making my face the last he saw.

“I’ve had enough of your talk,” I spat, despite the blade pointed my direction. Sure, his shell had blocked my first attack, but he could be bluffing about how much it could protect from. He might even be bluffing about it being cast from another location. I certainly wasn’t going to take him at his word, nor let him get away. I came here for blood. So I was going to _fight_. Without giving him an opening to dodge, I flung a different sort of spell his way: a powerful wind spell.

A blasting gust flew forth from my hand, putting distance between the two of us again as it sent him careening back into his table...Unfortunately, it also sent his paperwork flying, something I’d have to now sort through after I killed him. _Ugh_. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to do any damage to him, the translucent shield revealed on impact before fading to invisible again. How frustrating. It was likely impervious to anima magic as well...But I wouldn’t know until I tried the others.

The blow set the man off, however. Moving faster than his lumbering form suggested he could, he pushed off the disheveled table and swung his blade in my direction.

He wasn’t nearly as fast as Lon’qu, though. Avoiding him was child’s play. I shifted off to the side, readying the next spell in my arsenal to try and wear the man’s shield down. But he continued on, swinging his sword with more brute strength than finesse. Light on my feet, I was faster than he was, ducking into shadowed areas so he would lose track of me since the remnants of my cloaking spell were still on my clothes. It wasn’t enough for him to lose track of me, but it was enough to keep his aim inaccurate.

He didn’t seem to like that, letting out a growl of frustration as he continued to slash about. It was difficult to focus on avoiding him and readying my spell, but not impossible. But it wasted precious time. A few seconds longer than I’d wished for it to take, I conjured a wall of flame that burst forth. The air in the room seemed to surge, filling with a dry heat almost instantly. He coughed in the smoke, but otherwise was unaffected. I was running out of options. I watched a paper or two turn to ash in the blaze, hoping that they weren’t particularly important. Though it did seem to enrage him further. Another swing of his blade hit my arm this time, just enough to rip through the thin fabric and draw blood. Hardly a notable injury. But I was running out of options, and the room was not large.

While he prepared another swing, I moved around the other side of one of the large shelves to put a barrier between us. If I couldn’t hit him with magical attacks, then maybe something physical would do the trick. I only had a small dagger on me, I’d be hard pressed to get close enough to do any real damage on him with it. But with my tome, I recast the wind spell from before. The heavy bookshelf toppled forward at high speed, crashing into the man on the other side. He crashed to the floor beneath its weight, but before I could even reach for the dagger at my belt, he started to recover. With a feral roar, he thrust the frame up and off, snapping it in half from the force. Half of it flew towards me, catching me off guard. I threw up my arms over my face to protect my head, but the force of the projectiles still knocked me off my balance and scraped at the skin, splinters sticking to the torn fabric left in its wake. When I lowered them, my eyes widened to see that he was already on his feet again. His sword had been lost in my attack, but his axe was already hoisted over his head. I fell back, knocking my spine against one of the tables along the way. I grunted, but didn’t have time to focus on it. Rolling onto my side was the only thing that kept me from getting cleaved in half as he severed the table in twain like a guillotine.

Thinking he had me at his mercy, he took an extra moment to gloat, readying the axe over his head once more as he sneered down at me...nary a scratch on him.

“Clever girl. Magic can’t touch me, but it’ll take more than a little furniture to take me down. Won’t be the same for you, though.”

I’d avoided it because of the attraction it would draw...and I knew for certain now that anima magic would do me no good either. I would have to regroup and come back another time...As much as I HATED the thought of retreating. But I knew when I’d been outplayed. I would be prepared for this next time, that was for certain.

For now, I just needed to get out alive.

Clutching my tome again, I threw my hand up toward him again as he started to bring down the axe. A massive bolt of lightning shot down from above between us. Tendrils of electricity fanned out in a flash, hitting both his axe and a nearby weapons rack, causing a chaotic mess of lightning and metal to erupt. The crack of thunder certainly would have been heard in the distance, alerting any others in the area of the altercation. But most importantly, the _flash_ was blinding. Had my eyes not been closed, even I would have had difficulty seeing after that. I heard him call out in anger, but I didn’t waste any time to wait around. While he rubbed at his eyes and flailed about blindly, I was already out the door.

There was nowhere to run, though. I could hear the shouts of backup security making their way down the halls toward me, but couldn’t tell which direction it was from. And while I could likely fight them, it would give Khadim the chance to catch up to me, and I was not ready for another fight with him. Reaching into the pouch at the back of my hip, I pulled a tiny glass vial from within. One of the hex potions I’d made before coming back here. With a quick toss, I shattered it on the ground, unleashing the magically enhanced darkness inside. It spread through the halls like a fog, obscuring vision entirely...even my own. But I’d already scoped out my way out. Leaping upwards, I used a nearby crate to boost the height so I could grab onto the partially exposed rafters above. Muscle wasn’t my strongest asset, but I had enough to pull my own body weight up. Gritting my teeth, I hoisted myself up into the ceiling, stepping fully out of sight just as commotion rang out below.

There couldn’t be more than four or five in the hall, even after Khadim burst through the door. I froze, not wanting to risk making a sound. Though the hex on my clothes would conceal my footsteps, it wouldn’t hide the creak of a weak support beam I stepped on. Shouts of confusion and frustration echoed up to my ears, complaining about the darkness even as it began to fade. It was only meant to last a few minutes. Just long enough to slip away.

“She can hide in shadows!” Khadim bellowed, though his irritation was small recompense for my failure. “If you find her, use your signal before she kills you so that I can take care of her.”

Signal...So this was something they’d devised among themselves for communication. I’d have to look into that...But more importantly, I’d have to find out what that spell barrier being cast on him was. If I had any hope of undoing it to slaughter him next time, I had to know what I was up against. Soon enough, I’d know. I was determined to.

Once the rest had moved on to search for me, I started moving again. I knew the way to my usual exit from here, thanks to Khadim making me follow him around for this gods-forsaken place for hours. And within a few minutes, I was gone.

But not for long. I’d be back to finish what I started.

 

* * *

 

||| Lon’qu |||

 

Gone again already...The spaces of time between her departures were getting shorter. Either she was getting closer to answers, or running out of time.

Or she was growing sick of dealing with me. I shook my head at the thought. Though I knew it was only my own cruel mind that would conjure that assumption, guilt couldn’t quite shake it completely.

 

Try as I might, though, I couldn’t pour all of my limited spare time into training. I spent all day at the fortress as it was dealing with my burden of my responsibilities. I needed time away from it: the people, the walls, the threat of conversation both pleasant and not. And though it was better to return home to her, an empty house was still some form of reprieve.

That...and someone had to feed the dog.

 

Rather than sit around doing nothing, though, I still had other ways of distracting myself. Though, it was still work, really. My lacking literacy had been a hard barrier to overcome the last few years. But I couldn’t rely on Gregor to do my reading and writing for me forever, not discreetly. I sat at the dining table, one hand underneath to stroke Chow’s head, the other pressing a book down and open on the surface. I didn’t exactly have much reading material of my own in the house, but Tharja’s collection of books and tomes was quite extensive. I couldn’t read the magic tomes...I didn’t have any magic in my blood to decipher the language. But she had other books that were simply about ancient magic and spells. The subject matter wasn’t really anything particularly useful to me, but all I really cared about was being able to decipher the words. I’d improved significantly over the last few months, but I was far from fluent in the written word. And I wasn’t about to try my hand at writing just yet until I could get through a page within an hour.

I’d been working on this one for the better part of three months and was only about halfway through. Frustrating to think about, really.

 _So don’t focus on that_.

That was what Tharja had said. It sounded harsh on the surface, but she was right. I found it marginally less stressful to practice when I didn’t worry about how _quickly_ I was progressing. But I was getting more pages done in a day. The last few pages I’d gone through, however, had been a little easier once I figured out what the section was on.

It was the bonding spell we’d used when we married a few years ago. I couldn’t read at the time, so I had to memorize the incantation that Tharja told to me so that I could recite it with her during the actual ritual. I still remembered nearly every word, but certainly enough to recognize it once I came across it. Admittedly, I was interested to see the details. She’d told me enough, what I needed to know, and so far all of that had been confirmed. I glanced down at the scar on my left palm: a permanent testament to the spell. I hadn’t been surprised to find out that a dark magic spell involved blood...and the details had been a bit macabre, but… I’d agreed to it regardless. It wasn’t that different from marriage, in my opinion. The vows were the same in concept, but marriage only connected you in law. The Bonding Spell linked us in body and soul. Even though she was hundreds of miles away in another country, I could still feel that tether. It was faint and unnoticeable if I didn’t focus on it. That was a good sign: If it suddenly started becoming hard to ignore, that was usually cause for worry.

The part I was sorting through now, though...This was not something I recognized. I’d seen the words before, I knew that, but it had been a while… C and T next to each other wasn’t a common combination...but I knew ‘act’, so this must be similar. The T and H sound was like ‘the’, but at the end...what was E and A again? The pronunciation was never consistent…

A few minutes later it dawned on me what the words were, and I had to re-check the section to make sure that I hadn’t started reading about a new ritual without realizing it...But I hadn’t. A subsequent part of the Bonding Spell that I hadn’t heard of, but sent a feeling of unease down my spine at the name of it:

DEATH PACT.

 

Before I could continue on to find out exactly what that was, someone rapped on the front door. I hate to admit that it made me jump, too used to the silence of the room to have been ready for a sudden break. Chow made a gruff sound from under the table as he stared at the door, but I calmed him with a quick word of reassurance. Closing the tome for now, I pushed it aside and moved to answer the door. When I opened it, I found Gregor standing there with an oddly neutral expression on his face.

“What happened?”

The older man didn’t seem particularly concerned, but there was a tinge of uncertainty in his voice when he spoke. “Nothing has been happened yet, but I am believing there may be some happening in not so distant future.” He held up a letter in his hand, but knowing better than to hand it to me and wait an hour, he summarized its contents.

“Prince Chrom be calling for urgent Royal Summons in Ylisstol. We must make with the leaving immediately.”

I let out a sigh, shoulders slumping as I grimaced. While I had no problem with seeing Chrom, this didn’t sound like it was for a casual visit. And it looked like I would have to put off finding out what this Death Pact was…

There had to be some reason Tharja hadn’t mentioned it...And though my heart told me that it was for my benefit...That maybe I shouldn’t go reading it for that reason.

But a sliver of paranoia in the back of my head didn’t seem to agree...And partnered with my curiosity, it was winning out.

 

* * *

 

A few days later, Gregor and I were sitting in the council room in Ylisstol castle. I had half a mind to send Flavia in my place since she had more experience with politics, but it certainly wouldn’t do anything for my already unproven image in Ferox as Khan. That, and Chrom may have taken offense, since the letter specifically called for me by name, not simply ‘a Khan’. I sat at my side of the long table, Gregor to my right and Cherche to my left. She was accompanying Virion, who had apparently been summoned as well. I couldn’t be sure what the meeting was regarding at first, but it must be important if he’d pulled representatives from every corner. Say’ri and Yen’fay sat at the other side of the table, waiting for Chrom to begin the meeting. But apparently we were still waiting on another pair of delegates, so he claimed. Who else it would be, I wasn’t sure, but the wary look on Frederick’s face was even more apprehensive than usual. I didn’t have a good feeling about this, despite how calm Gregor appeared to be. A few moments later, I realized exactly why. Two figures strode through the door not long after. One was hardly notable, but Plegian. Which meant that the masked figure who strode in beside him with an almost eerie heir of grace likely was as well...And though I’d never seen the man before, I immediately knew who it was.

The Eidolon...Plegia’s new masked king. I could feel the muscles in my shoulder’s tense, and I’m positive my face didn’t hide my distaste. Not very professional of me, but I was no actor. I didn’t dare say anything, though. Not yet. As far as everyone else was concerned, this man was a noble and peaceful ruler, there was no cause for alarm. And in truth, even I didn’t know for sure that he had anything to do with the slave trade Tharja was tracking. But I was the only one who even knew of that potential issue.

And now I couldn’t help but wonder exactly _what_ this meeting was for. I kept my mouth shut, I’d wait to see how this all played out. But I would keep my suspicions, however quietly, until proven otherwise. Unblinking, my eyes followed the man as he took the seat right across from me. My scowl didn’t falter, and I didn’t like that I couldn’t tell if he was looking back at me or not.

 

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” Chrom began, somewhat his normal self. Though, normal was relative since the end of the war. “I know it hasn’t been that long since we resolved the last conflicts that faced our countries, but nothing lasts forever. There’s a new threat afoot, and while it’s not one that threatens to destroy the world itself, it does still threaten the livelihood of the people who live in it. And I know we’ve never been the sort to sit idly by and let innocent people get hurt.” He paused, gesturing to the Eidolon as he continued, “I have been working with Plegia’s new King towards reparations between our nations, since they...haven’t been particularly positive for quite a while. He’s done much to help those in Ylisse who lost their homes and families, but things in Plegia haven’t been much better. He needs our help.” Nodding to the masked man, Chrom adds, “The floor is yours.”

The man rose from his seat slowly. Even without seeing his face or hearing his voice, there was an air of haughtiness to the very way he moved. Or maybe I was seeing what I wanted to see. Who can say for sure? But anyone dressed in gold armor with a similarly colored cloak lined with white fur obviously thought highly of themselves. How in the seven hells did he not die of heat stroke in Plegia’s climate?

Unless he just sat in the comfort of his castle all day and let his minions do lackluster work for him. How he’d even talk with a mask that covered his entire face, I wasn’t sure. But when he did speak, his voice echoed and reverberated like something supernatural. It was obviously augmented by some sort of cloaking spell, metal alone wouldn’t distort a voice like that.

**“My thanks, Chrom. As some of you may have heard rumors that drift across the borders, Plegia is on her way towards repair...Yet I am ashamed to admit that we are far from that point of yet. All manner of black market has thrived in her sands for so long, it has proven...most difficult to eradicate quickly. Despite my efforts, I know there is an ongoing problem with Slavers in our country, and I believe in my efforts to reduce their success within our borders, they have...traveled outside them to pursue this unsavory business.”**

 

I remained silent. Despite the pauses, I couldn’t read the tone at all. And though what he claimed was consistent with what Tharja had found, it still didn’t prove if the man was innocent of it all or not. For all I knew, this was still a farce. But, perhaps it wasn’t.

Say’ri was the first to speak, ever the diplomat. “Good King, prithee, do you suspect that such unsavory enterprise has crossed the seas? I can fathom no other reason you should seek an audience with representatives of Valm.”

The man simply nodded. **“I’ve no proof of it, but...I fear it is possible. I know for certain that both Ylisse and Ferox are already affected by their trade.”** He motioned to Chrom and I respectively. **“If they haven’t already, it’s only a matter of time before they do.”**

How could he possibly know that?

 

“You seem awfully sure of that.”

 

For a moment, I thought I’d broken my silence and said the words myself, but as it turned out, it was Frederick. Though I could tell by the look Chrom and the others gave him in response that he and I were alone in that train of thought.

“Frederick, please-” the prince started to say, but the Eidolon held up a hand.

**“Peace, Chrom. It was merely poor choice of words on my part. I meant only to warn everyone of the potential. I simply suspect such a thing is likely to happen, due to our efforts in Ylisse and Ferox’s cooperation going forward.”**

Attention now shifted to me. _Damnit_.

“Define cooperation,” was my blunt response. Apparently it was no harsher than my usual attitude, as no one batted an eye. So far so good.

 **“It is the same I ask of all of you,”** he replied, now gesturing to the others around the table as well. **“I shall continue my efforts in Plegia to stamp out these criminals, but I would ask you all to aid me in your own homelands. With our efforts combined, I am confident we can put an end to this. I offer each of you one of my most capable men, to aid in the communications and-”**

 

“So a spy.” The words flew out of my mouth before I had time to think about their implications. But my instinct told me that something wasn’t right. Something about the way this man carried himself, how he spoke of these problems...Something wasn’t being said.

My accusation was met with a shocked silence from the others, a few even looking aghast at my audacity. Virion was the first to speak.

“Lon’qu, my good sir, what pray tell would cause you to make such a conclusion? The man has simply requested our aid and you would accuse him of seeking to infiltrate?”

I grimaced, but said nothing.

Chrom spoke next, seeming more confused than anything, but tried to diffuse the situation. “I’m sure there’s no foul play involved here, Lon’qu. I’ve been working with the Eidolon for months. I assure you the threat of this issue is indeed real.”

“I don’t doubt it’s real,” I interjected. “But you’ll forgive me if I’m more cautious when it comes to the intentions of those who hide their identity.”

 

 **“I understand that obscuring my name and face can cause unease,”** the Eidolon replied. **“I cannot blame you for your hesitance, West Khan. But anonymity is precisely what has held Plegia together after losing so many kings in such a short span. They need not a name, but an enigma to lead them to the light. That is what I intend to be.”**

“And I’m to simply take you at your word?” The man had no reputation nor facial expression nor even vocal inflection for me to get a proper reading on him. My trust was not so easily given. Especially not when my wife had suspicions about him.

 

“Lon’qu,” Chrom started, his voice one of attempted understanding. “I realize that you’ve had issues with being deceived by those who wear a mask in the past, but I assure you-”

 

“This has nothing to do with your daughter,” I snapped, sending him a harsh glare. As if I would be so petty as to base my reasoning on Lucina concealing her identity to defeat me years ago. Her intentions had actually been _good_ ones, why would I hold it against her? “Just because the man talks like your sister doesn’t mean he speaks truth and peace.”

That comment I regretted. Immediately I felt the entirety of the room’s eyes on me with distaste. To be fair, comparing the Eidolon to the late exalt was not my smartest move to date. But it was too late to take it back now. Rather than apologize and look weak in front of a potential enemy, I swallowed any further harsh comments on the matter, eager to move on. Gregor was the one to step in.

“Perhaps, we simply be needing more discussion. Prince Chrom be having good relation with mysterious king, but rest of us are being meeting only for first time now. Must be getting to know each other more better, yes?”

I grimaced at the thought, not agreeing at all, but at least the hostility in the air began to fade. I fell to silent observation and contemplation as the rest of them talked...Discussing the benefits of such an arrangement, of plans on how to communicate back and forth between the countries. But I wouldn’t budge. The more I heard, the more I didn’t like. The idea of having some emissary running around my fortress and country with nearly free reign of any area and political information that could possibly link to Slaver activity...It didn’t settle with me at all. It sounded like an opening for them to expand their trade under my nose under the guise of wiping it out...A way to easily cover their tracks from within.

No one else seemed to think that way. Not even Frederick by the end of the meeting. But they didn't know what I knew...

And I couldn't tell them. I held my tongue. But I would also hold my ground.

 

“All in accordance, say aye,” Chrom announced at the end of it.

Virion, Say’ri, Chrom and the Eidolon lifted their hands in agreeance. I kept mine on the table, crossed and tensed.

“Ferox declines.”

 

Somehow the others were still confused about my choice. Even Gregor seemed mildly concerned that I wouldn’t agree to it. But he didn’t question me. Not yet. I knew he would later. And I’d give him the same answer that I was about to give the others.

“On what grounds, Sir Lon’qu?” Say’ri persisted. “You would allow Slavers to run free in your country?”

I shot her a glare, my fist clenching in front of me. I had to grit my teeth not to lose my temper over such an ignorant comment. It was a struggle, but after a moment, I looked away from her, and back to the Eidolon, my gaze unmoving.

“I have my reasons.” A breath. I couldn’t explain why...Not without revealing what Tharja was doing. And I would not allow that to happen under any circumstances. Not only could it ruin her progress, but...it could get her killed. I was going to have to bluff...not a strong suit of mine. So instead, I went with other facts to cover up my own motives. I stood up from my seat, making my word final. “Ferox has been dealing with Slavers long before I was in charge. We will continue to do so our way...Without your _‘assistance’_.”

Chrom sighed in frustration, but otherwise didn’t argue further. “It’s decided then. The rest of us will work with Plegia to eradicate this Slave Trade...and Ferox will do so independently. Council dismissed.”

 

As we all left and dispersed, I was in no mood to stay around and chat. To be honest, I didn’t even feel like staying the night to travel the next morning, but it would have been foolish to do otherwise. So instead, while Gregor stayed back to speak to the others, I headed straight to my temporary chamber. It took only a few minutes to get there, but as I did, I realized I was not alone. Approaching from an adjacent hall was the Eidolon, coming to a halt a few paces away. I froze in place, staring him down. Why in the hells he would seek me out, I couldn’t say, but my hand did rest at the ready on the hilt of my blade. One never knew when an enemy awaited...though I knew nothing of the man’s fighting ability...Save for that he wielded a lance, since he wore one strapped to his back currently.

“What do you want?” I growled, put off by his irritating silence.

 

**“Peace, West Khan. I only sought to inform you that I take no offense to your words in our meeting today.”**

 

“I wasn’t going to lose any sleep over it.” What made him think I cared? I’d hardly been apologetic in my decline.

 

**“You have no reason to trust Plegia, I know. Chrom was much the same when we first spoke. Our reputation hardly precedes us in any positive light, and our hierophant did bring about his beloved’s end, after all. Know that if you change your mind, our borders are open to you.”**

 

I narrowed my gaze. It seemed...Odd that he would know something so personal and specific. While it was possible he’d heard it from Chrom...even if they’d been allied together against this threat, it seemed far too personal to him for him to just share it with an anonymous monarch...Particularly when he could hardly bring himself to talk about Robin at all anymore.

 

“I have no qualms with Plegia,” I responded, making my point clear before I opened the door to my temporary room. Before I yanked it shut, I looked back over my shoulder.

 

“Just **_you_ **.”


	4. Grave Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I only said that Ferox would handle its own problems as it always has. That’s all.”
> 
> “You’re certain of that?”
> 
> “...You think I would dare say anything that might put you in harm's way by any margin?”

||| Tharja ||| 

 

My frustration with my failure still hadn’t calmed by the time I returned home, and the return to frigid weather certainly didn’t help either. My mood soured further when I saw that there was a Pegasus waiting just outside my home with Feroxi banners under its saddle. I knew who it belonged to, what I didn’t know was  _ why _ she was here. My initial suspicion was one that I had to forcibly suppress...He knew better, and I would have known if he was. 

And truthfully, I knew better too. He wasn’t the sort. But knowing what I did about her prior feelings for my husband (whether still present or not), it was difficult not to let that jealousy pry its way into my thoughts when she showed up. Even if she was due to have a baby with Gregor in a few weeks.

I entered my home with little stealth or warning. Why should I? It was  _ mine _ after all. My sudden entry startled her immensely, but what didn’t, really? Olivia was standing in the kitchen next to Chow, I assumed petting him or feeding him or something. But when I entered she bolted upright, hands flying up to curl into her chest as she turned to see me. She moved rather fast for a woman that heavily pregnant. As she looked to me, she seemed relieved, calming a bit after her initial start. “Oh! Hello, Tharja. I didn’t expect you to walk in just now..”

Apparently. “Where is he?” I asked, since she was here but, as far as I could tell, Lon’qu was not. 

 

“Oh, Lon’qu? He was summoned to Ylisse for a summit with Chrom. Gregor went with him, too. But he asked me to stop by and look after Chow for him while he was gone since he wasn’t sure how long you would be away.” Her usual sheepish smile showed up as she spoke and bent down to scratch Chow behind the ear. 

A summit? About what, I could only wonder. “What for?” I don’t know why I bothered asking, she probably didn’t know. 

“I-I’m...not really sure. Gregor didn’t seem to know either when he got the summons. So I guess it must be really important.” 

As I expected. I’d have to question Lon’qu about that when he returned. But at least he had the sense to get someone trustworthy to watch the dog first. That oaf Basilio would likely spoil him or make him fat. Though, it wouldn’t have been a good choice anyway, since I’d trained the dog since he was a pup to pounce on the man. He’d thought it cute at first when the dog was small. Now that he was nearing 100 lbs, it was much more effective. 

I nodded at the woman, the closest thing to a thank-you I really offered. “You can leave now,” I told her since she had no further information to offer me regarding my husband’s whereabouts and the reason for it. “Before your horse freezes or something.” She couldn’t have been here too long, after all, considering. Olivia didn’t seem keen on fighting me on that or overstaying her welcome, so after bidding the dog a farewell, she left.

After greeting my dog, I headed straight to my study, Chow at my heels as he followed me there and curled up on the large pillow at the corner I’d set out for him. I didn’t exactly have time to waste, not when the longer I took the more time Khadim had to prepare for me. I didn’t need him having another trick up his sleeve after I figured out this one. However, something was... _ off _ . I wouldn’t say that the organization of my books and hexing supplies was ‘tidy’ by the average person’s standards. But I knew where everything was and where it went. And one of the books was in the wrong spot, somehow set on top of the spellcasting tomes to my left rather than its spot on the shelf. My lips tugged to the side in a disgruntled grimace. Either Olivia was messing with my things (unforgivable) or Lon’qu just wasn’t putting them back properly ( _ slightly _ less unforgivable). Setting it aside for now to hound him about it later, I went straight to work on delving into the others, searching for any barrier spell that could be cast at a distance.

 

* * *

 

The next day, I was fairly certain I’d found it. I couldn’t be sure without testing, but...All the ends seemed to match up. But this was a spell that couldn’t be cast on oneself, only on another party. I glanced out the window to my right to catch a glimpse of the midday sun. It was deceptive to see it so bright out here, looking warm and inviting. Yet I knew that in Ferox it was a lie. Even though the glass window that should magnify its warmth I could only feel the cold chill of the air outside. Was my fire still going in the main room? There was no reason it should have gone out. 

The sound of the door to the house opening pulled me from my thoughts. Was the man finally back? At least now I wouldn’t have to wait around for him to return or try to find another test subject. Setting down the tome I was reading through, I grabbed the one I had set aside the prior day before stepping out into the hall. As expected, Lon’qu was removing his coat by the front door. 

“Have you been reading my tomes?” I asked first, as if he’d just returned back from buying bread. 

He gave me a mildly perplexed look in return, one brow quirking up before responding. “You know I can’t read those.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He was so dense at times. “Not the spellcasting ones. The informational ones.” Holding up the red-covered book I’d found out of place, I added, “Like this one.” 

“Oh, yeah. Why?”

I didn’t mind that he read them, in truth. It wasn’t like he could do anything with the information. And the man needed to learn to read, damnit. How he’d gone so long without that ability I would never understand. “Put them back where you found them.” The last thing I needed was him losing my library piece by piece. Setting the book aside, I leaned against the wall where I stood. “What did Chrom want?”

He only seemed mildly surprised that I already knew where he was. But something about the way his brow furrowed at the mention told me it wasn’t all good news. And shortly after, I knew why. 

 

* * *

 

“You can’t be serious…” I grumbled from where I sat next to him on the settee after he explained. I knew he wasn’t lying, but I simply couldn’t believe the naivety of the others. All of the others just let the Eidolon plant his own men in their ranks. Even without founded proof that the anonymous king was an enemy, the movement didn’t settle well with me...Especially considering what personal information he seemed to know about Chrom. Either the exalt was being far too open about the intimate details of his life with unproven strangers (unlikely)...or this man has other ways of finding such information. Very likely, but not...inherently criminal. My instincts told me it couldn’t be good, however. But dense as Lon’qu was at times, at least he had enough sense to decline. However, that was also cause for concern…

“What reason did you give for declining when all the others did not?” I couldn’t help but worry that he’d said something  _ stupid _ that might hint that someone was giving him information against the Eidolon. If so my cover could easily be blown. And the urgency in my harsh tone made it clear what my concern was. 

“I only said that Ferox would handle its own problems as it always has. That’s all.”

“You’re certain of that?” This wasn’t the time for paraphrasing, I needed details.

He shot me a stern look, laced with a mild bit of offense. “You think I would dare say anything that might put you in harm's way by  _ any _ margin?” 

I did fall silent at that. Not apologetically, but...he had a point. Sometimes he did or said foolish things, but his overprotective nature always preceded that. I didn’t  _ need _ his protection, and he knew that. But I also knew how fearful he was of losing me, particularly of his own fault. Even now, years into our relationship, there were still nights he’d jolt awake in a cold sweat from those nightmares that plagued him since he was but an adolescent…

Silently, I nodded, satisfied with that answer. I didn’t trust many, but...Him I did trust. Moving on from the subject, I moved on to my next concern. 

“I’m going to need to test something on you,” I told him, not bothering to beat around the bush. 

He quirked a brow in reply, lips twisted in a slightly uncertain purse. “What, another hex?” Despite his hesitation, I knew he wouldn’t decline. A few instances had unpleasant after-effects but they were always temporary...or I could easily fix them. So long as he hadn’t done something to irritate me.

“Sort of,” I clarified. “A shielding spell. I need to make sure I have the right one. There’s no reason it should have any adverse effects.”

“Alright. Are you planning to do that right now?”

Unsurprisingly, he didn’t fight me on it. But I shook my head, standing up from my seat. “Not yet, I still need to prepare it and wanted to give you a head’s up.” He did just get back, after all, and Ylisse was not a quick trip nor an easy one. 

He stood up as well, starting to head down the hall behind me. “I’m going to bathe then...I haven’t had the chance in a few days.” 

As if I hadn’t noticed. “Yes, do us both that favor.”

Just before I made it back to my study, I was stopped in my tracks and froze in place as the sudden feeling of something ICE cold pressed against the back of my neck. I jumped, muscles tensing as my hands flew up in a defensive recoil. The sensation only lasted for a second or two, but it took me a few moments more to recover from it. But I knew exactly what it was, and I heard that  _ blasted _ chuckle of his, however subtle, before he disappeared into the bathroom door behind me. But by the time I whipped around to get him back, the door was shut. I HATED how cold his hands were, and they were even more so now after traveling outdoors for so long. But he found it so  _ amusing _ to see my reaction when he touched my skin with them. 

“You’re DEAD!” I shouted after him as I attempted to open the door...to find it locked, of course. I tried slamming into it with my shoulder, but no use. I should have expected as much, this wasn’t the first door that had been put here, apparently, he got a stronger one this time. I was prepared to burn it down but didn’t want to deal with the mess afterward (or burn down the whole house for that matter). But he seemed to have forgotten that I was the one who controlled the heating of that bathwater. So after waiting a few moments for him to actually be in it, a flick of my wrist shot the temperature of it straight up instantly. Not enough to  _ boil _ him alive, I preferred him in one functioning piece. But  _ oh  _ would it be unpleasant. And the resounding shout I heard on the other side of the door in reply was confirmation of exactly that. With a semi-satisfied smirk, I let him be for now. The water would simmer down after a few minutes, but I’d find some other way to teach him a lesson when he got out. 

If I  _ really _ wanted to be inconspicuous, I could just blame it on the spell I needed to test on him.

 

||| Lon’qu |||

 

Only a few days after my return home, events in Ferox were already taking a turn for the worse. In the middle of my morning training regimen, I was pulled away by Gregor for an urgent meeting with Flavia. In truth, I’d rather stay there and train all day than talk politics again, but I didn’t have that luxury anymore. Begrudgingly, I complied. 

“It could be a front,” Flavia explained, pointing to an area on a map that was a number of miles northwest of the fortress where we stood. “But I don’t think it’s something we can ignore. They’ve been mobilizing for days. There has to be some damn reason for it.”

I looked down at the map where she indicated, noting that it was less than a day’s ride from here. It wasn’t necessarily cause for alarm, but she was right. We couldn’t ignore it. “The scout said they were hardly being subtle about it. If they planned on making it known they were going to revolt, we would have heard it by now. If they’re planning an ambush, they’re pathetic at it.” I looked to Gregor, knowing he had more information he still needed to divulge. “What did the scouts to the north report?”

He nodded in response, expression uncharacteristically grim. “The north are being reported to have many abductions of lately. Mostly small children, it saddens Gregor to say. Reports are seeming to be moving across to southeast border. Be thinking maybe...this is what Eidolon having been speaking of at the Summit.”

My jaw set, I grimaced at the news. “Slavers, then.” The slave trade was not unheard of in Ferox. I recalled a few instances where we’d encountered them during the wars we fought alongside Chrom. In Northeast Ferox, I’d even had to help drive off a hoard of them that were trying to capture my own daughter. 

Not that I knew she was my daughter at the time...That had been an interesting day for Tharja and myself. 

I shook my head, pushing that memory aside for now. Though slavers had always been a black market in Ferox, the Khans (long before myself) had always made efforts to stamp it out where they could. Vigilante justice was part of the empire’s culture, which kept most of those in such abhorrent trades limited and out of most cities. But it would appear that there was some branch of it escaping any real eradication. So what was this group doing differently than the slavers of the past?

The first thing that came to mind brought a grimace to my face. The only thing that had changed recently was the appearance of the Eidolon. I had no substantial proof, and I couldn’t risk saying anything for fear that I would reveal to much of what Tharja was doing in Plegia. But my gut told me there was a connection in some way, I just couldn’t say what. But I was determined to find it. 

“Perhaps the movement in the northwest is a distraction,” I pointed out. “They don’t seem to be moving with any specific purpose. The slavers do. If we send all our forces to the northwest, it would give the slavers the chance to slip away.” I glanced down at the map again, seeing the markers moving in a diagonal towards the southeast. Towards...Ylisse. “Their pattern of movement already suggests they’re heading towards the wall.” Though, why would they be heading to Ylisse? I couldn’t say for sure. But it wouldn’t surprise me if it had something to do with my refusal to allow one of the Eidolon’s ‘representatives’ into my country. An independent slaver would go to wherever their base is. So either they were in Ylisse and unaffiliated, or they couldn’t make the cross directly into Plegia from Ferox without rousing suspicion because of my refusal to cooperate and their ties to the Eidolon. 

If I had any regrets about my decision at that meeting before, they were gone now. 

 

“I see your point, but this is still all speculation,” Flavia pointed out. “We have no definitive answers about the mobilization to the northwest.”

“Yes, and it’s been weeks since they started and nothing has changed there,” I countered. “Meanwhile, the slave trade is moving along unhindered. No one is stopping it.”

Gregor nodded in response, seeming to understand where I was going with this. “You be thinking is bigger than average slave problem, like what Eidolon make mention of in past meeting. Perhaps movement in west be intending to hold our attention so that Ferox militia not be bothering with the slavers.”

I nodded, silently thankful that he could better phrase my train of thought. But I had to be careful. I couldn’t blame the Eidolon for the distraction, even if that was my suspicion. So I had to muster up some sort of deflection without the strategy losing the focus I was going for. “Either they’re working with the slavers...Or they really are planning some sort of rebellion, and the slavers are simply taking advantage of it. I say we take them both out at once so that neither can take advantage of us making a move on the other. Split our forces half and half. Flavia will lead a charge to quiet down the northwest…” Hopefully peacefully. Enough military presence might be enough to make an impression and calm them or quell them. “Gregor and I will take the rest of our forces to the east to take out the slave trade there as quickly as possible. Hopefully, we can take one of the leaders captive for interrogation, considering the situation.” So I could figure out if they really were working for the Eidolon or not. Though how I’d manage that without anyone else finding out, I didn’t know yet. I’d cross that bridge later. 

 

Flavia did not seem concerned about my strategy until I mentioned going after the slavers. Her brows pulled together, lips twisting in contemplation. “That would leave our stronghold undefended. It’d be a good plan assuming no one outside of here knows about it. If word gets out our defenses are weak, that’d give any other enemies we might have the chance to strike unless we pull in forces from the borders, which would take too much time.” 

“Leave the border guards where they are,” I agreed. Even I wasn’t daft enough to leave a border undefended. “The fortress isn’t an easy target for anything less than an organized assault, and we’ll be splitting up to face only two threats we’ve seen. They won’t get past us.”

If Gregor saw any fault in my decision, he didn’t show it. Flavia’s expression wasn’t entirely convinced, but she apparently didn’t have a counterplan either. She sighed, shrugging in some sort of half-amused resignation. “It’s days like this I wish Robin was still around. I’m sure she’d come up with somethin’ neither of us considered.”

I grimaced at that. Not because it wasn’t true, it certainly was. But it  _ irritated _ me that people would constantly bring her up like a slap in the face. Like her name was only relevant if it could be used for emphasis. First the Eidolon, now Flavia. No one seemed to just bring her up  _ because they missed her _ . Chrom could barely speak of her, still too pained to relive her memory. The others were too afraid to bring her up for fear it would upset him. The only person who ever talked about her was Tharja, and only to me. 

“Robin is dead,” I snapped, though I kept my tone controlled. “So you’re stuck with me. Get your battalion together and get moving. The sooner we move, the less time they have to react.”

Done with the discussion at that point, and following my own orders, I turned to leave the room. I had my own men to rally. Flavia, refusing to let me have the last word, did call after me as I turned out the doorway. 

“Ya better hope this plan of yours doesn’t go wrong or we’ll be dead too.”

 

* * *

 

The weather outside was no worse than usual. Grey skies kept the glare of the sun at bay. Snowflakes carried in on the wind stung at my skin on contact but they didn’t slow my blade. A splash of red coats the ground after a precision swing, the throat of the bastard before me nearly completely severed. I didn’t wait for his body to fall before moving on to the next target. 

There were so...few, though. Something didn’t sit right with me. I had nearly forty armed warriors with me, having expected just as many to be among the slavers, if not more. And as I’d expected, not a one of them was any match for the rest of us, and hardly any of their ‘merchandise’ was there. A handful of young children, nothing more.

And the slavers had  _ fled _ when we arrived. They must have known their chances, and I was certain their ringleader was the first to run. A few of the men were apprehended and threatened into revealing where they were headed. While a few men stayed behind to arrest the stragglers and rescue the abducted children, I sent the rest in the direction we’d been told they were going to chase down the rest.

Logically, Gregor and I headed the opposite direction: straight south around the bend of a mountainside. I raced ahead, my right-hand man not far behind. We had ground to make up...assuming we were on the right path. But between Tharja’s (and now my) suspicions about the Eidolon’s involvement in the slave trade, and the small scattered remnants of what was supposed to be a powerful slaver group, I did not for a moment believe that their leader would stick with the rest of them to be captured. Even for peons, the men we apprehended turned their backs a bit too quickly. They wanted us to follow, to throw us off the scent. Gregor agreed. 

And I was right. For someone who wasn’t known for cunning or tactics, I couldn’t help the bit of self-satisfied pride that hit me when I caught a glimpse of the man disappear into a thicket of pine just below the ledge I ran across. I knew he saw me, as suddenly he’d swapped his stealth for speed. I let out a shrill whistle, a signal for Gregor that I’d found who we were looking for. Throwing caution to the wind, I slid down the ledge, my boots scraping across ice and stone as I pursued. He was a burly man, barreling down the inclines into the trees. 

I made up that ground by  _ jumping _ that ledge, a drop nearly twice my height. Even with the roll I did to soften my landing, the impact still jarred my knees. But I couldn’t afford to let it slow me down. Redrawing my blade, I cut him off from his path, forcing him to either slow and turn, or fight. He chose the latter. 

His weapon wasn’t drawn, however. He was hardly a remarkable looking fighter, even his draw on his axe was far too slow. A quick twist of my sword and I had knocked his weapon aside before he had a chance to even prepare an attack. But even with my height I didn’t have the weight or strength advantage to subdue him without killing him or at least mortally wounding him. 

Thankfully, Gregor did. Coming up behind the man (who was too focused on me to react), my companion tackled him to the ground, a loud  _ thud _ followed by a pained  _ oof _ escaping the slaver. Not skipping a beat, I stormed over, pointing my blade into the man’s face that was half pressed into the dirt, Gregor pinning him down on his stomach with one arm twisted behind his back. 

“Who do you work for?” I wasn’t going to beat around the bush, I wanted answers. 

The man let out a harsh laugh of mockery, hardly intimidated by me despite his position. Not uncommon for scum like him to be so arrogant even in the face of death. “I don’t work for nobody, boy. And I ain’t gonna answer to you, either.”

I resisted the urge to groan, but my lip did twitch up in annoyance. While independent slavers were hardly unheard of, nothing about this man suggested he had the brains or skill to lead anything that went on this long. He was a scapegoat or a grunt, I was sure of it. I turned to Gregor, “Take his pack.” Worst case scenario, he could hold information in his belongings. And if it did, my next words might make him more cooperative. I turned my glare back to the hostage. “Then you’re no use to me.” 

Interrogation was not my strong suit. If it came down to it, we could haul him back. But threats I could do, and usually it was enough to intimidate some sort of reaction in my favor. I saw the look in his eyes change slightly as my sword moved...

 

**_B O O M …_ **

 

The sound of a massive explosion in the distance  _ rattled _ the mountain ambiance, a tremble in the ground seeping through my boots. Gregor and I whipped around to look, startled by what could have made such an impact. It was no small combustion from a cart or cannon, and the very  _ surge _ that seemed to sweep across the land when it happened. I felt a chill in my bones that Ferox’s climate could never give…

In the distance, a plume of smoke billowed into the sky. Confusion hit me first, unable to fathom what had happened or why. But the sudden jolt through my left hand when it went off suddenly made sense. I realized that the smoke was coming from the southwest…

 

From the fortress.

 

I felt my stomach drop at the realization, but my mind didn’t have time to catch up. A shout of pain caught my attention suddenly as I turned to Gregor to see him crumpled over on his side.While we were distracted, the slaver had pulled out a dagger and stabbed him in the side. It wasn’t deep enough to kill him quickly, but it was enough to escape. He was already running when I found the focus to react. But I didn’t chase. 

I was frozen, trying to understand what had happened. My sword slipped from my fingers...I needed to help Gregor. We needed to get back. The slavers could wait…Tharja wasn’t hurt, just startled. If she was hurt I would know. But there was a threat at the fortress, the one I’d left with minimal defense while we split our forces chasing two vague potential threats…

Our stronghold was under attack, my home in danger…

  
And it was _my fault_... 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M NOT DEAD. I'll finish this fic if it kills me because I LOVE IT. Just been busy playing 3 Houses, you know how it be lol


	5. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do your worst! I ain’t talkin!”
> 
> “We’ll see if you last long enough to see my worst.”

||| Tharja |||

 

I was never one to startle easily, but even I jumped at the sudden explosion that went off. I could feel the ground shake, rattling some of the glasses on the shelf for a moment before it settled. In my surprise, the tome I’d been reviewing fell to the floor after it slipped from my recoiling hands. Chow jumped down from where he’d been laying next to me, immediately rushing to the window to bark. As irritated as I was confused, I swung my legs off the cushions and onto the floor to take a look for myself. Whatever it was, it was... _ powerful _ . And  _ close _ . 

Placing a calming hand on Chow’s head, I looked out to see for myself. My brows rose at the sight, a towering plume of black smoke billowing into the grey sky. It was massive and not far off...Definitely at the fortress, just a few minutes walk away. My nails tapped in agitation at the window sill as I leaned against it, trying to figure out what happened. While it could have been caused by a massive stockpile of explosives (which I was fairly certain weren’t all being stored carelessly in one place in the fortress), the way the smoke whisped into the sky...It had to be magic. What I couldn’t figure out was the spell or the reason…

I didn’t get much chance to think on it either, as I was suddenly overcome with a wave of dread and panic that wasn’t mine. The scar on my left hand didn’t burn, but a numb tingling sensation caught my attention. I didn’t know what happened, and I knew he wasn’t dead, but something was wrong. Lon’qu’s emotions had always been... _ subdued _ , really. Even when I could feel them, they were never overpowering or stronger than my own. 

I hadn’t seen him since he’d left for the fortress that morning. He must have been close to the explosion, but that didn’t explain the delay in his reaction. Something else must have shaken him, and I needed to find out what. If for no other reason than to make sure it didn’t  _ kill  _ him. I grabbed my heavier cloak that I’d hexed to keep me warmer. The large sleeves and dark fabric helped retain heat against the harsh climate of Regna Ferox. It was a rare occasion for me to go to the fortress. I hated going. But I had little choice in this situation...even if only to drag an unconscious husband home. Stuffing one of my magic tomes in the cloak, I pulled it close around my shoulders and stormed out the door. 

* * *

 

 

When I arrived, though I’d entered the fortress through the side gates, I didn’t have to go far before I found the blast zone. An entire  _ wall _ had given way, and violently at that. Large piles of rubble remained at the base and scattered about the area. Blood and scorch-marks painted the floor, and snow had already begun to muddle the lines between indoors and out. The gaping wound was massive, expanding three stories up and 50 meters wide. 

The best way I could describe the scene was calm chaos. The emotions going through Lon’qu and filtering into me hadn’t subsided, only became muddled in my mind. It wasn’t like him to be so distressed for so long. Even I was starting to worry. But I saw him  _ nowhere _ among the crowds. I saw no  _ fighting _ either. There was no skirmish or bloodshed or even any  _ enemies _ anywhere in sight. All I found was throngs of wounded people being carried off by those who could still walk. Every one of them was marred with some sort of burn or bruise or bloodstain. A few limbs were as twisted as the pained cries of their owners. Some were even severed completely. 

As much as I needed answers, I decided it would be in poor taste to try and wrangle them out of someone dying or trying to save the dying. So I marched over to the first person who didn’t appear to be doing either. He noticed my approach, looking to me with a quirked brow on his rather unintelligent looking face.  _ Ugh _ . Chances were I wasn’t going to get anything useful out of him but at this point I had to try. Not going so far as to even greet the man, let alone introduce myself, I gave him a stern look as I spoke. “Where is Lon’qu?”

Immediately, the man’s brow rose in skepticism. Perhaps I should have asked where the “West Khan” was. This simpleton might not even know his actual  _ name _ . But it turned out he had at least enough brain cells to know that much. 

“Hell if I know, lady. He and the East Khan split up our troops and took off first thing this morning. Haven’t seen a trace of either of ‘em since. The hell are you, anyway?”

“None of your business. Where did they go?” I didn’t have time for this. Though most knew Lon’qu was married to a Plegian sorceress, very few had ever seen my face to make the connection. Frankly, I preferred it that way. 

But he didn’t seem to take kindly to my impatience. “I don’t know or give a damn, all I know is the damn fool took our fighting force with ‘em and left this place a sitting duck to go chase some damn slavers. Rotten decision left us open to attack.”

I grimaced in response. While I’d asked him to keep an eye out for Slavers, I had never told him to  _ chase them down _ , particularly not as such a risky move. But then again, I glanced about the scene again. Still, no signs of any sort of actual enemies or fighting going on. I turned to glare at the man again.

“You’re not under attack. There is no one here. Your accusations are baseless.” Only  _ I _ was allowed to call Lon’qu an idiot. And knowing what I did about his summit with Chrom, his reasoning for his actions likely wasn’t solely attributed to my own plans. But I wouldn’t know until he came back. No doubt he was on his way, I could still feel his anxiety seeping into the shadows of my own mind. There was no way he’d gone far enough in half a day to not see or feel that explosion and his navigational skills no doubt told him the fortress was the target. I knew that was what triggered his sudden spiral. But damnit, I needed him to keep it together. He was starting to freak  _ me _ out. 

The man before me seemed ready to fire back at my rebuttal, but he paused for a moment, his expression changing as if he were seeing me for the first time. I was about to turn to leave, since he was of no use to me, but I paused when he let out a mocking bark of a laugh. I shot him a vicious glare, but waited to see the cause of his sudden laughter was before deciding on what level of penalty to dole out.

“Well I’ll be damned! You  _ actually _ exist. I’d heard people say the damn man was married to some Plegian woman but I assumed it was a load of bullshit! The fool can barely stand near a woman, I figured he lied about havin’ a wife so we’d mock ‘im less!” Another raucous laugh left him that drew a few stares considering the atmosphere. But he kept going. “What’dja do? Put a spell on him to trick him into it?  _ Har har _ !”

_ Ugh _ . This was precisely half the reason I rarely came around. Though, perhaps that was also part of why he thought I was made up. But that was beside the point. Rolling my eyes, I waved my hand out to the side dismissively. “That’s enough out of you.” But as I turned, a subtle flick of my wrist left him with a parting gift. I’d had enough of him mocking my husband, and I would not allow his mockery of  _ me _ to slide either. He’d find it difficult to speak ill of us with a swollen tongue...the size of a peach. 

And if he choked and died on it after I was long gone, well then...He’d never be able to tell anyone what happened now would he? As I moved forward, the corner of my lips did tug upward at the gurgling sounds behind me as he started to find  _ breathing _ difficult. 

 

A few moments later, I made my way to the piles of rubble that were being cleared away. But what in the seven hells could have blown a hole three stories tall and nearly as wide in a  _ fortress _ ? The only thing that came to mind was long gone. We killed the Fell Dragon well over a year ago…

Well...Robin did. Rest her soul...I still wasn’t truly over it. 

I reached where the wall  _ should _ have been, moving past it and back out into the cold outside. What I couldn’t understand was the way the rubble had fallen. It was everywhere...Inside, out, in piles at the base. It wasn’t blown in or out in a way that would suggest the blast came from an outside force or from an inside source. It was like it had simply...exploded from within itself. 

Tracing my fingers along the wall, I stared at the dark stone for any sort of answer...And eventually, I found one. Near the shattered edges, I found some...notches in the stone. At first glance, it seemed like damage from the combustion. But as I looked closer, I noticed a pattern, and that they had clean edges...and it seemed to follow the edges of where the wall was broken.

A quick investigation revealed to me that it was the same on the other side...and as I rooted through the rubble...I found more. So as I “helped” clear away the rubble, I discreetly marked down the runes I found in the latter blank pages of my tome to investigate later. I wanted to know what happened, but I did not want to draw the attention of others and have them  _ questioning  _ me about it. I would talk to Lon’qu about it when he got back...After I figured out what the hell it was, if it was anything. 

Once I’d found enough, I slipped back out of the crowds to head back home, but on the way, something caught my eye. A flash of pink off to the right seemed to be the source of whimpers of pain, but the familiar voice was what drew my attention. Looking over my shoulder, I watched two people carry Olivia out on a stretcher, shouting something about getting her to an infirmary. I paused, noticing the immense bruises that littered her skin and scrapes on her skin that was smeared with black stone dirt. Tears streamed down her face, though she bit her lip to stifle herself from crying. Both her hands were wrapped around her protruding stomach. I swallowed, wondering what exactly happened to her, and how long it had taken them to find her for these people to just now be carrying her off. 

Even from this distance I could see her shaking, the rowdy people around her sounding as concerned as they did urgent. Gritting my teeth, I changed course towards them. They were going to make it worse with that racket. Seeing the extent of her injuries, if she hadn’t already lost the baby, stress would be what did it in. When I reached her, I didn’t even look at the accompanying buffoons as I told them to shut up, perhaps with a quick hand motion that would temporarily silence their voices when they didn’t immediately comply. 

Olivia’s eyes opened slightly, unsteady, sharp inhales making her voice shaky when she spoke. “Th...Tharja?” 

“Give me your hand,” I told her, firm but reigning in my usual harshness. I didn’t wait for her to give it to me, not in her state where it likely hurt to move it. It was more a warning for her to know I’d be taking it. I reached for one of her hands, wrapping it in my own to try and calm her. My other hand moved to rest on her forehead. I wasn’t a healer, but I’d been studying helpful forms of dark magic nearly all my life. I whispered a small incantation under my breath, one that would clear her head and temporarily calm her thoughts. And with it, her fears and worries. It would only last half an hour at most, but a calming spell would be the only way to get her body to relax and stop panicking. And it worked quickly, the former dancer’s eyes fluttering closed as the tension started to leave her body, her breathing turning deep and even. I’d cast this spell a number of times before, usually on my husband. No doubt I’d be doing just that later when I saw him, particularly if he found out about this. His tempest of panic had yet to subside, causing my hand to continuously tingle even as it held Olivia’s. 

After a few minutes, I pulled back. If her rescuers could talk, the looks on their faces suggested they wanted to question me. Olivia didn’t have time for that in her state, and I didn’t either with what I needed to find out. “Get her to a medic quickly and calmly, before the spell wears off. Then you’ll get your voices back. Go.” 

Despite their distaste with my method of ‘asking’, I didn’t allow them to argue and they ultimately decided it would be better to help Olivia first before bothering with me. But I’d be gone long before they got back. Heading straight back to my home, I pulled my tome out once more to review the runes I’d found.

Ferox may not have been attacked, but it was certainly  _ targeted _ . 

* * *

 

Hours passed and I spent the majority of it researching the markings I’d collected. As I suspected, dark magic was definitely involved. And while I had a few hunches as to the reason for them, I couldn’t make any solid conclusions just yet. Lon’qu’s overwhelming anxiety proved to be a constant distraction that I eventually managed to suppress as time went on, but at one point it spiked again and nearly drowned out my own thoughts. I paused my research to glance down at the scar on my left palm, as if that would have any answers for me. But even this level of bond between us couldn’t tell us everything about each other’s current state. 

Darkness had begun to seep into the sky before he made it back. As soon as I heard the handle of the front door move, I put down my books and moved out into the hallway just as he walked in. 

He was pale as a ghost, expression laden with stress and horror and guilt. I hoped that he hadn’t been walking around the fortress like that and was just letting his fears flow now that he was home. Chow whined beside me as he trotted across the floor towards Lon’qu, seeming to pick up on his distress as easily as myself. As the man moved to shut the door behind him, I swiftly headed for the settee in the main room and motioned for him to come to me. “Take off your coat.”

Silently, he did as he was told, dropping his heavier clothes off to the side before joining me in the living area. He sat down, immediately moving to hold his head in his hands as he leaned forward, but I was not about to let him sit there and stew in his thoughts for any longer than he already had. Sitting beside him, I turned sideways and reached forward, placing one hand on his shoulder and one on his forehead. Slowly, I guided him to lay back across the seat, resting the back of his head on my lap. He moved slowly, reluctant, but did not resist. Once I had him down, I let the same power I used earlier channel through my hands. Almost instantly, I could feel his panic start to fade. His eyes closed as well, tension in his shoulders starting to ease. His breathing evened out. Though this was only a temporary fix, it was a reprieve I knew he needed in the short term. And though the spell only required a quick touch, I didn’t pull them away. I gently ran my hands back over his forehead, fingers running back through his hair in as soothing a motion as I could manage. Comfort wasn’t really...my strong suit. But for  _ him _ , I tried. Even the dog rested his head on Lon’qu’s legs, his own attempt at comforting the man.

We spent ten minutes like that, in comfortable silence. Well, as comfortable as it could be considering the day’s events. At that point, his eyes opened slightly again, one of his arms slowly reaching back to gently touch my own with his fingertips. A motion of thanks or simply an intimate gesture I wasn’t sure, but I understood him all the same. He was calm enough now. So it was then that I spoke.

“What happened?” 

His gaze flickered up to me briefly, our eyes meeting for a moment as I leaned over him. Then he sighed, staring at nothing in particular again. When he spoke, his voice was low and sounded numb, likely a result of the spell I’d cast. But it was better than the shaky panic I likely would have heard without it. 

“There was an ongoing uprising to the northwest...ongoing slave trade in the northeast picking up momentum for the border. I...decided it would be best to split our forces and take them both down at once so that we didn’t give one or the other the chance to move…”

He paused a moment, his other hand moving up to run it down his face. Another exhale left him before he continued. “Flavia said that it was a risky move...that it would leave the fortress vulnerable if we didn’t pull troops from the borders. But I was sure that if we moved on our enemies and kept the borders secure, there wouldn’t be anyone who could carry out any sort of real threat or assault…”

Despite the spell, even now I could still see the slightest traces of anxiety creep into his face again. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and despite my impatience to know the details, I didn’t press him. I knew he would tell me. He always did. 

“Apparently I was wrong...I saw the explosion... _ felt _ it...And I knew...I...made a bad call. It was even worse when I got back. So many people  _ died _ ...Countless injured...Olivia was hurt... _ badly _ . She...she might  _ lose  _ Inigo…” 

His eyes were clenched shut but this point. Part of me had hoped that he wouldn’t find out about Olivia on top of the rest. My motions through his hair stopped, instead cupping my hands around the back of his jaw, one thumb brushing over his cheek. Although he didn’t love Olivia, I knew how much it would affect him to hear that she was hurt as a result of something he did. I was all too familiar with that damaged side of him. It had taken me years to help him move on from that trauma, and even then it was only a partial recovery. Even still, I was the only woman he was comfortable enough with to get close, let alone touch. And while part of me liked holding that position, prided myself on being the only one he could move past that with...I didn’t enjoy the pain his past caused him. Even if I believed he shouldn’t blame himself for what happened.

I was about to respond, thinking he was finished, but he spoke again after taking another moment to collect his thoughts. “Gregor was hurt because I was distracted by the blast...Everyone says that the fortress was attacked while we were gone but no one can tell me who it was or how it happened. I...don’t know if it’s because they truly don’t know or if they’re all too disgusted with me to speak to me about it.”

I scowled at that, whether he saw it or not. Partly at him holding himself so accountable for all of it, but also at the fact that those damn  _ imbeciles _ continued to say there was an attack when there wasn’t.  _ Ugh _ , what did I expect with a nation made up of muscle-bound brutes? “There was no attack, those simpletons just can’t think of another explanation for what happened.”

That didn’t seem to catch his attention at all, likely because he thought I was trying to make him feel better. Stupid, really. He should know better. An irritated huff left me as I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “Tell me exactly what you were doing when the explosion happened.” I mostly needed to confirm my own theories, but in doing so, perhaps it would draw him out of his self-loathing thoughts. 

He told me about their chase of the slavers, how the targets had split into groups and half of them eluded Lon’qu’s forces. About how he and Gregor tracked down the leader going the opposite direction of what they’d been told. About how the explosion happened right as they’d taken the man down. “We had him...We were going to drag him back and pull information out of him...But when the fortress was attacked, it pulled both Gregor’s and I’s attention off the man...He stabbed Gregor and ran off and I…”

“Stop saying it was attacked, I already told you it  _ wasn’t _ .” I could only reign in my patience with him so much. Finally he looked up at me, the slightest hint of confusion in his furrowed brow. But what he said did help piece things together, at least into a solid theory. 

I inhaled, calming the sharpness in my voice. “No one saw any attackers because there  _ weren’t  _ any. Not there. The explosion was a trap spell...I can’t say how long ago it had been put there. But there were runic markings lightly etched into the rubble. I found enough of them to confirm it was a destruction spell, one that could be set off remotely.” He remained silent, but his attention was fixated, trying to take in what I was saying. At least he was listening now. “Either it was put in place by the other Feroxi uprising and set off when Flavia attacked…Unlikely, since your country’s people aren’t exactly known for their magical prowess, let alone a dark magic spell as powerful and rare as that one...Or someone set it off when you caught that Slaver so that you couldn’t take him back for interrogation.”

He didn’t respond at first. But I detected no skepticism in his expression. As I trusted him, I knew he trusted me as well. But I suppose it was a lot to take in after everything else he’d already had to deal with that day. “...Flavia confirmed the uprising was nothing more than local political unrest. She didn’t have to fight anyone, just depose the local council to settle the disputes. While it’s not impossible that they had a hand in it...Their qualms were largely limited to their local area, not with Ferox’s governing body as a whole like we expected.” His eyes flickered back up to me. “The timing was...uncanny. It happened right after we caught him, but...Suffice to say the man hardly looked intelligent, let alone capable of magic.”

“Even an idiot can cast a simple signal spell if they’re taught,” I reminded him. After all, the scores of lummoxes I’d stalked down in Plegia were hardly an intelligent lot by the look of it, but Khadim had told them to cast such a spell. “He may not have set off the detonation, but chances are he signaled someone who could.” My brows pulled together at the implication of it, a low grumble emanating from the back of my throat at the thought. “And if that’s the case, and they really are connected with the Eidolon, that would mean he’s privy to  _ vital _ information that they can’t afford to get out. It  _ must _ mean that for them to use such drastic means to secure an escape.” I hadn’t quite realized my frustration had drawn me to suddenly grip at his hair rather than run through it, but if he noticed he didn’t complain. I sighed, loosening that hold again to let my hand just rest there beside his head. “Not that it matters...Even if you did capture him, it’s doubtful he’d talk. Not to you or your ilk.” It wasn’t meant as an insult, and he knew me well enough by now to know that. But Ferox’s form of interrogation was...limited. To brute force, mostly, from what Lon’qu had told me. It wasn’t uncommon for those captured to die or take their own lives before they talked if enough was at stake. It wouldn’t have done me any good, and likely wouldn’t have done much for him either. Particularly not if the majority of their men and “merchandise” had given them the slip. “I’ll find answers one way or another, even-”

I paused when I felt him shift, my attention darting back to him as he reached into his pocket. A moment later, he slowly pulled something out: a length of dark navy cloth, dirty and worn by the elements, but in tact. It appeared to be wrapped into the shape of a band that one might wrap around their head or arm, though it started to unfold a bit as he took it out. He handed it to me, eyes lifting to look up at me again...Something I only noticed in my peripherals, as I was now examining the bit of fabric he’d given to me. I flipped it over, seeing a small sigil emblazoned on it. Not one I recognized, certainly not something forged of magic. It was no more complicated than a brand you put on cattle. But I could put the clues together. I’d spent enough time around the slave trade to recognize a slaver’s emblem. That alone was helpful information that I could use, but more importantly…

My eyes widened slightly as I looked back down to him, admittedly with a hopeful glint in my gaze. “You took this off him, didn’t you?”

A slow, subtle smirk was his response. Immediately a rush of anticipation surged through my veins. No doubt he could  _ feel  _ it. Uneducated maybe, but he was  _ sharp _ . He’d watched my work enough to know how many of my spells worked. Most importantly, despite how briefly he’d had the man in custody, he’d had a mind to take a personal belonging from him. Even if the item did him little good...He did it for  _ me _ . Because he knew what  _ I _ could do with it. “Well, if anyone can make him talk, you can.”

A wicked smile formed on my own lips. Tracking spells were well within my arsenal. All I needed was something to  _ trace _ . A face was enough, usually, but it relied on my ability to remember every detail and was more complicated. I’d planned to use such a spell to track down the bastards who murdered his childhood  _ friend _ when he was an adolescent and traumatized him so badly, but...it would require me to invade his memories, for him to relive them...He wasn’t ready for that yet. But one day...I’d find them. I’d turn them inside out and make them  _ bathe _ in agony as long as I saw fit. They deserved  _ worse _ , but I would not allow them to live out their lives unpunished. 

A thought for another time. And I did not have a face to follow in this situation. But to have an object that belonged to the target...That was  _ child’s play _ . My fingers curled around the fabric, curling it into a ball in my fist as if I could already feel my  _ prey _ within my grasp. I leaned down closer to my husband, a rare bit of praise leaving my smiling lips as I cupped his jaw with my free hand, “Good boy.”

At that moment, Chow stood up from where he’d curled up on the floor and jumped onto the settee where Lon’qu lay. Caught off guard by the sudden weight on his lower torso, the man jolted upright with a dramatic rush of air leaving his lungs. He nearly knocked me in the jaw with that motion, but lucky for  _ him _ he did not. But I suppose it wasn’t  _ entirely _ his fault. Since his head was no longer in my lap, I stood up from where I’d been sitting, ignoring the pins and needles in my legs from where they’d fallen asleep under the weight of his head. 

Groaning as he attempted to wriggle out from under his assailant (whom had laid across his legs at this point), he gave me a mildly exasperated look. “Should I be insulted that you praise me the same way you praise the dog?” 

It hadn’t been my intention to coax Chow up, but I didn’t bother to hide my mild amusement at the result as I corrected him. “I praise the dog the same way I praise you.” He should just be grateful I praised him at all. It wasn’t something anyone else really received from me.

As I headed back to my study to cast a quick tracking spell, he managed to free himself from his furry prison and finally stood up. “I’m going to eat something. Let me know when you’re ready to go.”

I paused at that, turning to look over my shoulder at him. Yes, I suppose I should have expected that he would know I intended to search for the man right away. But what was this ‘we’? “Why would you come?”

He gave me a rather unamused look in response, as if I shouldn’t even have such a question. “Why would I  _ not _ ? He’s my target as much as he is yours. Actually, more so, since we don’t even know for  _ certain _ what his connections are. That, and you’ll find him faster with me. I know the landscape better.”

I grimaced. He had a point on both counts. My suspicions were likely, but not confirmed. And on the chance that I was wrong, it would be best that he knew exactly what transpired. And I  _ hated _ trekking through Ferox even  _ with _ him, let alone on my own. I did not need delays because I came across a mountain or cliff I couldn’t traverse easily. But my reasons for questioning him were not entirely selfish. 

“True...But you need to rest.” He’d been traveling literally all day and that wasn’t even the worst of it. I thought for sure he would fall asleep in my lap earlier he seemed so exhausted. “And if his connections  _ do _ match his suspicions, if you know too much it could...be troublesome.” My  _ nice _ way of saying that he might unintentionally let information slip to the others when he reported back. If I came back and gave him the rundown of what he  _ needed _ to know, I could eliminate that risk and he wouldn’t have to worry about it.

“You think I would be able to get any sleep before you got back?” Despite his patience, I could tell he was going to be stubborn about this. “This is nothing I’m not used to.” He turned to head over to the kitchen as he continued, “Besides. I’m not telling the rest of them anything about what you told me regardless of what we find.”

Now he was truly confusing me. Was it not his  _ job _ to state his findings regarding an assault on their fortress? My brow furrowed in impatience. “Telling them that the explosion was caused by a dark magic trap and not an actual  _ attack  _ will get some of the heat off  _ you _ . Considering your reputation, you could use that…” Not that I kept up with what Ferox thought of anything, but he’d mentioned his lacking popularity among the people a few times since he’d become Khan Regnant. “Just tell them you’ve seen it before or something.”

“They will blame  _ you _ .” His answer was low and harsh, like he couldn’t believe I suggested that.

I was silent for a moment. I heard him right, knew what he said. I didn’t know why he said it. Why would they blame me? Most of Ferox didn’t even know who I was, and the few that did knew well enough I wouldn’t do it. “What are you talking about?” I grumbled, “I just spoke to one of those imbeciles today and he hadn’t a clue of my identity.”

He stopped what he was doing to look at me again, jaw set in tension. “They don’t know  _ who _ you are, but they know  _ what  _ you are.” He paused for a moment, as if he was waiting for me to argue again. When I didn’t, he seemed to relax again, continuing on in a more...digressed tone, looking down at the counter in front of him.

“The Khan’s  _ woman-fearing  _ champion doesn’t just marry a woman and no one talks about it. We may not have made a big deal of it, but Basilio and the others  _ did _ . Flavia and Gregor and anyone who  _ matters _ would know that this isn’t your doing because they know  _ you _ . But…” His fingers seemed to curl into the counter as he stared down at it. “Vigilante justice is very real here, it’s how most slave trades  _ don’t _ get very far in their business. I  _ know _ you can handle yourself...but I do not need a small army of people who oppose me or who lost someone in that blast getting it in their idiotic heads that  _ you _ set that trap...and then trying to kill you or burn down our house or following you and interfering with what  _ you’re _ trying to do in  _ Plegia _ and further filling their heads with brazen assumptions about your loyalties…” He sighed, looking back to me with his expression still looking rather exhausted. “You’re the only dark mage they know of around here. If anyone wants a quick answer or swift revenge, they  _ will _ hunt you. I will tell the others what they need to know... _ when _ they need to know it.”

 

Ugh...What an... _ unfortunate _ truth that was. I remembered that conversation I’d had with that oaf back at the fortress. True, he didn’t recognize me...but he’d known enough about Lon’qu’s rumored wife to figure out that I fit that description and was asking for him by name...And the imbecile had been quick to assume I’d used dark magic to secure Lon’qu as my husband. 

As much as I hated to admit it, Lon’qu’s concerns were very real. Yes I could fight off a small army of those idiots, but they would cause me trouble. Would cause  _ him _ trouble. And the last thing I needed was to have attention on me when I was constantly slinking back and forth between the borders. Even just showing my face at the fortress at all may have put me on someone’s hitlist. I cursed under my breath, muttering just loud enough for him to hear. “Your country is as stupid as always.” Nothing I hadn’t stated before. But he would understand what I meant...That I understood where he was coming from. “Fine, this will stay between you and me for now. You have twenty minutes to do what you need to, then we leave.” That was all it would take for me to prepare and cast the tracking spell. The sooner we moved, the less time our target had to put distance between us. He didn’t argue. 

* * *

 

The trek was absolutely  _ miserable _ . Luckily the slaver’s mad dash for the border put him closer to our home, but he was dangerously close to leaving the territory. The only reason we could make up that ground was he appeared to have stopped somewhere along the way. Even still, it took two hours to trace his steps...And it would have taken longer without Lon’qu’s navigation to avoid the obstacles that would have otherwise slowed me down. All I had to do was give him a polar direction and he knew the fastest route to take. He may not be much use with words, but he could read this terrain and the stars as well as I could read a Flux tome. But even so, even the enchantment on my cloak couldn’t keep the cold midnight air from seeping into my bones. 

Eventually, we reached our destination. At first it seemed like a dead end, the spell indicating that my target was beneath my feet. That did not deter me, Ferox was notorious for having underground caverns, many of which held hot springs...The only feature of this country that I  _ liked _ . Now it was just a matter of finding the way in...Which did not prove to be difficult.

The cavern led deep into the side of a mountain, the descent almost reminiscent of man-made ramp as it gradually lowered us into its depths. Even from the entrance, we could hear the distant, hollow sounds of movement and rough voices. Whoever this man was, he wasn’t alone. Rather than light a torch and draw attention, I instead cast a hex on both of us: one that would temporarily allow us to see in the dark. 

“Can you see yet?” I whispered to him, making sure my voice would not reach the walls and echo off. The spell was already working for me after a few short seconds, but sometimes my magic did not always stick to him as well. 

He nodded in response, looking down the darkened stone corridor. His voice was just as quiet. “It sounds like he’s met up with the rest of his caravan. There’s scuff marks on the floor, they’ve been using this hollow for a while. Or...someone has.”

I wasn’t sure that those details mattered to me so I simply ignored it. The note was probably more important for himself. So instead, I motioned for him to follow me down, his footsteps as silent as my own. And the farther we moved, the clearer the voices became. One man was just around the corner by the sound of it. Though I could easily melt him with a spell, his screams of pain would alert the others to our arrival. The target had already run off once, we couldn’t afford to give him a warning that there was a threat. I looked to my husband, a nudge of my head being all the command he needed. Pulling a dagger from his boot, he nodded silently in response before swiftly sneaking ahead. A moment later, I heard the faintest sound of stifled breath and the soft plunge of metal into flesh. I didn’t even hear the  _ thud _ of a body, seeing as by the time I rounded the corner he was slowly lowering it onto the ground. But now we had to move quick. If the others started searching for him and received no response, it would rouse suspicion.

So I trailed behind Lon’qu as he cleared the path. Not a sound to alarm anyone, barely even a drop of blood on the ground in his wake. A “swordmaster” the others liked to call him, but the sword was not his only weapon these days. He was an assassin: my  _ personal _ assassin. And he was an efficient one. Within minutes we’d cut through the men that lined the cavern’s passageway, but he stopped, seeming to listen in on a voice in the chamber beyond. 

“That’s him,” he whispered to me, so softly I had to read his lips to understand what he’d said. He did not move, waiting for my order. After all, he wouldn’t be the one dealing with this man.  _ I _ would. 

“Let me cast a stun spell first...he may try to run or take his life.” Considering the measures they’d taken to make sure he wasn’t captured, it was not a far-fetched assumption. And I was  _ not _ in the mood to chase him down again after that hike in the frost, nor was I about to tolerate him  _ dying _ before I was finished with him. “Once I do, you search the area to make sure there isn’t anyone else hiding in the shadows. Then bind him.”

He nodded. And I moved forward. Striding out of the darkness and into the lit chamber, I immediately turned my wrist, hand thrown forward to cast the hex I’d prepared minutes ago. The spell was aimed at the first figure I saw, a man who matched the description Lon’qu had given me. Burly, unintelligent-looking…

The man also looked rather  _ shocked _ when he was suddenly rendered unable to move anything at all, not even to speak. Only his eyes were free to move about, flitting back and forth between myself and Lon’qu, who was already circling the perimeter of the room. As he did that, I approached the target, grabbing his face with one hand to push in on his cheeks, forcing his mouth open. There was no capsule in his mouth that I could see, so once he was bound I had no further worries that he would try to ‘escape’. A few moments later, Lon’qu circled back to me to report there had only been one other person in the room. One who was now dead in the corner. But I already knew that, I’d heard the sound of Lon’qu’s blade ending their life only moments ago. As he worked on binding the man’s arms and legs, I was already going over my planned... _ strategies _ to make this man talk. And once he was right where I wanted him, a snap of my fingers released the spell, since he couldn’t speak if I had him frozen.

Immediately, our captive began to struggle, his features twisted into shock and rage. “What the hell, how did you find me so quickly?!” I noticed his eyes were not on me, but rather on Lon’qu who’d silently taken his place at my side. “That explosion should have kept you preoccupied for days!”

Ah, so the man was as unintelligent as he looked. I didn’t miss the cold expression on my husband’s face shift to icy fury. He understood what that statement meant as well. Already the man had confessed that the explosion was something he knew about and anticipated, not a random event he took advantage of to get away. 

“Who set it off?” I asked the man rather harshly. It had to be someone he knew.

The man’s attention turned to me, but his expression set my very bones aflame with irritation. As if he hadn’t even noticed I was anyone of consequence, and how dare I even  _ speak _ . And his words only confirmed that further. “Who the fuck are you? I don’t answer to you, bitch.”

Immediately I put my hand out to the side, pressing it back against Lon’qu’s chest to keep him from beating the man’s face in. Stupid man, he would give away our relations if he reacted like that! Thankfully, he had enough sense to step back at my gesture, though the tension in his jaw was still severe as he tried to hold himself back. 

The man night not fear me now, but he would.  _ Oh _ , he would. Very soon. “Oh, but you will,” I responded, a sinister smirk forming on my face. He wouldn’t be hard to break, I was certain of that. But I would enjoy it nonetheless. “If you wish to keep all your body parts in one piece.” Which he wouldn’t, of course. Even if he told me everything now, it couldn’t be trusted. I imagined he’d at least be losing his fingers and eyes before I got anything viable out of him. But it was better to start off  _ small _ . 

Oftentimes simple torture methods were enough to weaken the spirit enough that just the threat of more  _ severe _ methods would make someone  _ crack _ . Even just twisting my palm upward to let off a flicker of black flame made his eyes widen. I don’t think he realized it. 

“Hey! You know you can’t let her do that, right?!” the man seemed to plead to Lon’qu...Who wasn’t moved. “You’re the Khan, you’ve got laws and protocol to follow!”

There was silence for a moment, but my husband’s reply was dark an unamused. “I’m just here to guard the entrance.”

At that, the man’s face did seem to fall a bit, turning back towards me. A stubborn glare of refusal lined his expression, but didn’t make it to his eyes. “Do your worst! I ain’t talkin!”

I resisted the urge to laugh at him. What a fool. “We’ll see if you last long enough to see my  _ worst _ .”

* * *

 

And her certainly didn’t. Less than an hour and I’d pried all the information from him I could ask for before I left him little more than a puddle on the stone floor. After all, I couldn’t risk letting him go and reporting what the  _ Khan _ had been doing, nor could I afford to let him run back to his  _ employer  _ and warn him of my pursuit. 

But finally, I had confirmation. His employer was indeed, the Eidolon. I knew it for certain. The truth hex I’d cast on him did not allow him to lie. He could only speak truth, or nothing at all. And he squealed like a pig after losing a hand and a few other appendages. Less because of what I’d already taken, and more because of my threat of what I would remove next. 

Weak men always broke when you threatened their manhood. There was never even any need to follow through if you played your cards right and made it clear you had no trouble with dismembering their other body parts. 

 

But by morning when we finally returned home, the only thing that could warm my bones was the hot water of the bath. The blood on my skin had been washed away minutes ago, but still I lingered. Lon’qu had already gotten out, now sitting on the edge with a towel around his hips and his shins dangling into the water. 

“So, it is him after all,” he says calmly, though I can hear his exhaustion in his voice. “So those emissaries he sent to the other countries are spies after all. Chrom has no idea he has someone in his halidom running the slave trade right under his nose.”

I grimaced at the thought. The others had been so  _ foolish  _ to trust the Eidolon at his word. But at the same time, I was fairly certain I was the only one who’d held any suspicion about it at all. Who can say if Lon’qu would have refused the Eidolon’s “help” or not if I hadn’t warned him. But that was beside the point. “Unfortunately, he will continue to do so...we may know the truth now, but the word of one man isn’t enough to go spreading accusations...Even if I used magic to verify it. We would need solid proof. But even that is a useless endeavor. It would only give him the chance to wriggle out of it.” He’d already proved to be manipulative, I didn’t need him finding a way to deny whatever proof I brought up. And who would I even bring it up  _ to? _ He was the King of Plegia. I already had Lon’qu on my side and he was the effective ruler of Ferox, but even if I managed to convince Chrom and the others, the solution would just be war. Just  _ another _ war. 

I...didn’t want that. Not again, not so soon. Particularly not with Ylisse still recovering and Lon’qu’s lacking leadership abilities. “I’m going to take him down myself. Him and his  _ enterprise _ .”

My husband’s face shifted to something of concern, obviously worried about the outcome of such a bold act. It wasn’t an unreasonable reaction: I was well aware of the potential repercussions of such a drastic move. But it was the only option. But he didn’t argue with me, knowing the futility of it. Instead he just sighed, leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees as he looked off to the side. He didn’t say anything at first, but I could tell he was going to. 

“What can I do?” He asked, though something about his tone was already dejected. Like he knew his offer of assistance would be declined. He wasn’t...entirely wrong. This was something I had to do myself, and...Well, I had already involved him enough. 

I let out a huff of air, not appreciating the pang of guilt his words brought...though it wasn’t entirely his fault. I stood up, the warm air of the room feeling cool against my skin as the heat of the water pulled away from my chest. Walking over to him, he sat up straight again and I rested my hands on his thighs, holding eye contact with him. 

“You’ve done enough,” I said a bit more curt than intended at first. “...For now. If I need you again, I...will let you know.” 

The goal was to  _ not _ involve him again if I could help it. But, if it made him feel better to know I would use him if I had to, then I’d swallow my pride on the matter. Just this once. 

It seemed to help to some degree. He sighed again, but placed a hand on the side of my head, brushing his thumb over my wet hair. He pressed his lips to my forehead before letting out a hushed, “Alright.” 

Leaning in closer, I took his jaw in my own hands to pull his lips down towards my own. Regardless of my self-assigned mission and his involvement (or lack there-of) in it, I still loved him, and I would not let him think that I  _ didn’t _ . Particularly not when this meant that I would...likely be going back again soon. And he no doubt knew that. 

I lingered for a few moments, feeling him return the kiss, but I could  _ feel _ how tired he was. Not just in his movements, but in the link in the scars on our palms. In truth, I was exhausted myself. I pulled away slightly, patting at his cheek as I spoke. “Let’s go to bed.” He nodded in agreement. 

 

And once there, I immediately missed the heat of the bath and the steam of it’s room. Even beneath the heavy covers and furs, I still felt the chill of outside nip at my skin after being outside for so long. Even the clothes I wore offered  _ nothing _ in comfort. Tired as I was, shivering would keep me awake.

I thought Lon’qu had fallen asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, but I felt him shift beside me. I flinched when his hand slipped under my nightshirt, expecting them to be cold as usual...but surprisingly they weren’t. He pulled the back of my shirt up, pulling the skin of my back against his bare chest. His body heat radiated into me, and his arms wrapped around me, underneath the fabric. Without the cool cloth directly against my skin but his own warmth instead, the chills slowly stopped. I relaxed into his hold, and though I was fairly certain he fell asleep before me...I was not far behind.

  
  


  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Any feedback you can provide is greatly appreciated guys!! It keeps me motivated to continue these kinds of things. Lon'qu x Tharja is severely underrated and I just really want more good representation for it. So I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.


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